Crimson Ties
by Makilome
Summary: Decades after the events in Santa Carlo, David is called back by the voices of his lost family after a long international trek to forget the pain to find Aserah Mayfair, steeped in the occult, powerful, and the direct descendent of his Maker, who brings them back. Catch: she belongs to all of them now, even as revenge draws nigh. OC/Lost Boys harem
1. To Every Devil His Due

Crimson Tides

******It's 2012, a good few decades since the Frogs took his brothers and his maker from him. But David is nothing if not paitent. Years after traveling the globe, learning of the other species of his kind and things like magick, he returns to Santa Carlo, only to be shocked by the appearance of a young woman with a striking resemblance to his Maker, Max. He learns that she is a pagan, the descendant of a family notorious for it's connection to the occult on one side, and a direct descendant to his Maker in the other. In his and her blood lies the key to bring his Family back. So he cultivates her, teaches her, brings her to his point of view and when everything is ready, they bring back all of the Lost Boys. But there is a catch to Aserah's magick, they are all now bound to her. She belongs to them, they belong to her. In all things. And now they must figure out this bond with the young pagan as they all plan their revenge on the unsuspecting, older, and non-the-wiser Frogs.**

Chapter One: To Every Devil His Due

**After a international trek across the globe from which David has not only healed completely from the assault by the young and ignorent teenagers who murdered his family, but also learns about other species of vampires, creatures of the night, magick, and the occult, David returns home after the call to return to Santa Carlo becomes irresistable. To his shock, as he walks along the beach he and his Family use to cruise with wild abandon, he comes across a beautiful young girl with long dark hair, a dark tan, and emerald eyes that bares an overwhelming resemblance to his Maker.**

David's POV

The smells, tastes, and sounds of Santa Carlo, how like a siren's song it was to him. He never really forgot it, not across the many miles, the sight and sounds of a thousand wonders he laid his eyes upon on his international trek to forget the days and nights that led to the loss of his entire family. He owed alot to the ignorence of those teens, had they been better at their jobs, they might have actually killed him instead of wounding him with anteleer horns, of all things! Oh, don't get him wrong, it hurt like hell and it took him a long while for him to heal from the wounds the holy water and the blood loss left, but it didn't kill him. And the manner that his brothers had been killed had left open an interesting little loop hole that before his trek, he wouldn't had even known was there to be exploited. The Frogs had not used holy objects to kill them, nor were they anything that remotely resembled paladins, like Miss Integra Hellsing, someone he had very narrowly escaped durring an underground war that shook the English Night. Not that he would have ever harmed someone like her, she embodied all to much that which was the best in humanity while his real enemies embodied the worst.

But that loophole, he was going to use it! His brother's blood called to him no matter where he went, no matter how many he killed, or how much blood he drank, or how much booze he drained to kill the pain. The possibility to bring back everything he had lost was to great. And their voices sang to him across the devide. There was something about this moment, something that put an urgency to this need that had not been there before. Something about this night was important, and why he walked those still familiar streets, nostagicly recalling what was still the same and what had changed. The tech savy world of 2012 left that of the 80's in the dust. The sound of a thousand voices still rang, and the ferris wheel still ran, and the air sang with that of the corrupt and the fatally young. No longer the capitol for murder, being replaced by places like New York and Los Angeles and Bejing but the air of danger and death still hung about the town like a warm cloak. Humans were as clueless as they had always been about him. The females flocked to him, easy kills, practicly begging for him to do it. He had things like the stupidity of the Twilight series to thank for that. And on that horror, he immediately began to shudder in revulsion at the horrible images that brought up! If it had been David, he would have drained that stupid bint Bella within the first ten minutes of hearing her love sick stupidity spill out of her mouth! Really!

And don't even get him started on the sparklepires! He actually had to leave after being physically ill due to how badly the image of his kind was represented by the horrible franchise. He had to do something to bring back to life what vampires REALLY were! These thoughts played through his mind as the sound of the waves crashing into the nightime shore filled the air. He was so distracted by his distasteful thoughts that he didn't notice crashing into a young woman till she was holding on to his frame to try to keep both of them from falling in a frantic manner! "Damnit man! Hold on, if you don't we are both screwed!" the sound of her voice brought him back, but what he saw when he saw her face almost made him drop to his knees! The young woman was beautiful, tan skin, long dark hair, startling emerald eyes, but most of all how her face was structured, the tone of her voice, the aura of power that surrounded her and the area in which he stood. The resemblance to Max, his maker was overwhelming! His grip on her immediately got tighter and he knew his image changed.

To his shock, the girl showed no fear of him, no fear at all! He felt her grip loosen as she became more certain that he wouldn't tumble and take her with him. An darkly amused smile lit her face as she gazed upon him. "You were hoping for a scream?" she quipped. He took in his surroundings, realizing he had stumbled on a young pagan, setting the beach grounds for a ritual, and if the offering of clearly human blood and her tightly wrapped palm were any indication, it wasn't for the light of heart. The cage of a dazed snake in the corner and he had a better idea. He gave her a smile in return, the predator in him returning to the surface. "I have no need for that, I can make you scream anytime." and he did what he did best, turned on the fear and the sexuality that usually made it all the worse that the victims felt dirty that they desired their killer. Instead, she laughed, the dark tone went straight through him, turning on his interest. "I'm sure that you can, mister, if I wanted that. But as you can see, I am in the middle of something a bit complicated. But you can return to slay me in any manner you may prefer, later." He growled in appreciation of her daring answer. He moved closer to her, and she didn't move a muscle even as he moved into her space.

"David, Little Bird. My name is David, such a lovely creature of curteosy should return the favor. Or I could send you to the realm that you are so intent on using tonight." he spoke again, lips brushing her ear, smiling when he felt a shiver going up her spine, finally getting a reaction out of her. She took one step back, one hand placed firmly on a slender hip, drawing his eyes to a well formed but petite frame, lovely hourglass figure and legs that defied her tiny size. A half mocking expression was on her face, and he saw past the bravado she put on for him and saw there someone who had no fear of Death. She had a mad love affair with Death, and would welcome it. She was a cast out, someone considered to dangerous, to strong to be allowed to be apart of society. It was a bad joke! But one that could turn the tables to their side, bringing a smile to his face. "Aserah Mayfair, and yes, that means "those" Mayfairs. Cast out, that is rather accurate. I'm to dangerous for them! Because I embrace the darker side of our family and I am not afraid of the madness. How could I be, with who my father was?" her answer intrigued him, and the more she spoke, the way she held herself, her defiance coupled with her sophicated polish made her resemblance to Max beyond maddening!

David dropped all posturing. He felt the swirl of the invisable spirits whom she would be sure to command once he left, but he wouldn't, not yet, not when the answers he had looked for so long could be right in front of his face! "Who are you, Aserah, who are you really?" he asked. "My father, Reynald Dellenoix's daughter." she whispered. David's blood ran cold. "If you are who you say you are, and you do not fear me, would you be interested in conducting an experiment with me?" he asked. Everything would be in the blood. If what his thoughts and senses were saying were true, it would be known the instant he tasted hers. He would know if she carried the blood of his maker, Max Dellenoix. "Perhaps. What would be in it for me if I say yes, if you are asking permission instead of just being curteous before taking what you want." Her smart mouth made him smile. Something about her made him feel alive for the first time in decades, he would not ever punish her bravado and would rip out the heart of any man that ever tried. He smiled a dangerous smile. "Aserah, you are simply to smart for your own good, why ask a question which you already know the answer too?" she gave him a throaty laugh. "Because to every devil goes their due, and the spirits would take the blood you will need if I am not allowed to close the Circle first, this is Necromancy after all."

He threw his head back in a howl of laughter that she joined. "Very well, close the Circle, Little Bird." and with a wicked little smile, she turned from him and raised her bare arms, and he took in more of her appearance. She wore a self made cloaked robe with slit sleeves. It was a dark forrest green with gaelic runes haphazardly sworn across the front and the eye of Bast sewn in gold in the back and gold lined the v-neck and the bottom. Her feet were bare but her nails both on her feet and hands were midnight black. She wore a single adornment, a pendant bearing a november topaz around her neck. Her eyes were rimmed with black and in her movements and speech she resembled an Egyptian priestess at the beginning of the world. A dark sorceress who could spellbind a nation. The energy poured out of her and when she finished he had to catch her as she began to drop. "You are to careless with your life, Little Bird." she gave him her first real smile. "What life?" she asked. He brushed her hair back from her neck. "If what I think is true, and you give me back what was stolen, a life beyond your wildest desires" he whispered, voice husky and soft against her skin and he felt that his power over her really did exist, she was simply more powerful than most.

His last thought before he bit her was that in his arms was the Great anti-Bella like female. Strong, outspoken, in control of herself and her desires. One deserving of eternity. And her skin gave for him and her blood flooded him with a thousand images, and everything was known in an instant!. He stopped far before it would do her any harm, healing the mark with his blood. He laughed in triumph and she laughed with him, because now they knew what their uncanny connection was! Here it was, the blood of his Maker, running in her veins! That is why everything had been so urgent! His Family knew she was here! She had the power, and the blood, and he had the blood of his Brothers, they were the key to bringing them back! She needed to be just a little stronger and they would do it! "Say goodbye to the life and home you knew, Little Bird. Because tonight, you and I will start the reforging of Our Family, and you will never be cast out alone, ever again. Don't try to run, you won't ever get far. You were never really one of them anyway." And she laughed again. "Do you know I dreamed of you and your family? And there was those voices, they led me out here tonight. FYI, Marco needs to learn when to shut his mouth!" he howled with laughter.

He took her hand. "Time to go home?" she asked. He gave her a wicked smile. "Exactly Aserah. Time to go home."


	2. The Mayfair Legacy

**Chapter Two: **The Mayfair Legacy

In order for his plans to work, David has to make sure the rich and power Mayfair family does not come searching for the dark Aserah and burden her with the skeletons in the family closet. He uses his established contacts within the Talamasca to make sure her prescence remains buried. Meanwhile, the pagan projects and Max and the boys show her what she needs to do.

David's POV

She was asleep now, looking all the more like the exotic bird he first thought she was. He allowed him self to soften, now that they had no eyes on them. THe features of the Mayfair cln were clearer now, a picture of both vampire and witch priest. David was no fool. He knew exactly to what family she belonged, and unlike the Frogs, they had the means to wipe him out to where there was no coming back. It was clear Aserah did not fear them, but he had long ago learned the lessons of what happens when one is to impulsive. He needed to make sure that the Mayfair family stayed away and kept their Legacy of their own brand of insanity were it belonged, in New Orleans! It was by quite happy chance that someone within the womb of the ancient Talamasca owed him a life debt. He made his eay out of the lovely but modest home he bought under the alias of David Dupreix and fished his cell out of his pocket, dialing the number of, due to another coven's influence, who was now the head of the buddening New Orleans branch of the international organization, Stirling Oliver.

He answered at first ring, voice clearly annoyed. "David, you are aware that its 12 am, right?" the usually proper British gentleman was rather cranky. It made him laugh. "You owe me a debt, Oliver. It's time I collected. I made a most...fascinating discovery on the beach this evening. A rare find, a Mayfair carrying the blood of a vampire, and not just any vampire..." he fought laughter as he heard Oliver try to discreetly cover up he was cursing up a storm. "Temper, Oliver! I have no intention on harming her, though the same can't be said for the others of her family." he heard a long sigh on the otherside of the line. "What exactly do you want then?" the British man asked. "It's simple, really. Any information regarding the continued existance and where abouts of Aserah Daniella Dellenoix Mayfair is to be buried so deep, that they never see the light of day. And if they do, I'll be holding you personally responsible. THe girl belongs here, and to Us now. You don't want any bloodshed on your account, do you Stiriling? the threat was heard loud and clear.

"Very well, but watch after her, ok? She's wild and reckless, a dangerous combo when Mayfair blood runs in the veins." the other man said softly. "You mean she'll fit in perfectly, duly noted. I'll let you go now, I know how you Brits are about your beauty sleep." and with that comment, David hung up the phone, only to be bombarded with the white noise that was his brothers in his head. "Way to go Davey! She's hot" the loud voice of Paul was interupted by what was the ghost equivilent to a wack to the back of the head. "Dude, your still dead, try showing just an ounce of self-control." a half amused Dwayne scolded. "You haven't sen her man! Puts Star to shame, SHAME I tell you! And pagan to boot!" he was interupted by Marko. "Bros, I only got one word for you when it comes to that gorgeous thing, Beltaine!" and all of them growled, David and Max included at the images that particular word brought up. "Paitence, her magick needs to be just a little stronger before she'll be able to do the spell." David told them with a heavy heart.

"and you need to calm, my son. I have watched over that girl from the day she was born. Sge was meant to do this, meant for us. She is so strong, just have faith in her, e to her what no one else has the courage to be." the sound of his Maker's voice made him almost break down. Her very prescence was making them stronger. "I will be, and we'll bring you back, I swear it!" he swore. "Hey, check it out, Davey's going to cry!" Paul sing-songed "Oh shut the hell up Paul!" he growled playfully. "Dudes, we gotta go, our chick just entered the astral plane." said Swayne, and they left David in peace for Aserah's spirit form

Aserah meets the boys in Limbo upon the astral plane. Dwayne in particular is rather taken with her and everyone tries to help when her family's personal nightmare, Lasher, hunts her down.

Aserah's POV

Her new connection to David made Aserah's connection to those mates she alreadly dubbed "her boys". She wanted to test it, see if she could see them. She made preparation and took some of David's energy without his noticing. She wased herself into that familiar place between sleep and wakefulness and felt and overwhelming pull that had her zooming out of her body. She was caught in a pair of strong arms as soon as she hit Limbo. "Whoah, easy babe, easy now!" said a masculine voice she recongnized immediately. "Paul?" she questioned even as he locked his arms around her. "Hmm?" he answered playfully. "No one says babe anymore." she mocked with a playful grin. He let go in mock hurt. "You wound me!" he remarked. "I'm sure." she said with a roll of her eyes and a playful smile. He was a gorgeous creature, really. He did desperately need a shave, and she would be taking over complete control over his wardrobe! The big hair had to go, she could see him with a more tamed, long gleaming head in a low pony tail, long leather trench covering a Vulgar Display of Power t-shirt, knowing he would dig on Pantera, tight jeans and biker boots.

"Dude, quit hogging the hot girl to yourself!" commented a teasing voice, revealing a curly haired blonde was smirking. "A fine evening to you too, Marko. So lovely to meet such well mannered gentlemen." she snarked. Marko laughed. "Kitty has claws! Watch out boys!" he remarked. She kind of dug on Marko's style, though changes were in obvious need. A close cut, something that left the curl, like Klaus sported in the Vampire Diaries, and the tv vamps style would go a long way on him. A couple of necklaces, the artuflly worn looking shirts. Tailored pants. He would be a walking piece of art by the time she was done with him. She mentally thanked the gods for Joesph Morgan. And the colors to match his eyes, she was going to have fun, which was saying something considering she usually avoided shopping like she could catch the new strain of Black Death by going to the mall!

"You have no idea!" she dropped her voice an octive. "Don't we?" a voice that gave her the good kind of chills as she found herself wrapped up in another pair of arms. She rather liked this set, and making Marko and Paul pout was an added bonus. "A fine evening to you too, Dwayne." she quipped. "Nice to be able to touch you, Princess." he whispered in her ear. Now here was the one who needed no help in the fashion area. He was stunning, and that body, dear Bast! Aphrodite broke the mold after this one! She wanted to take that lovely long hair of his and take out all the unneeded products. Just let it flow free, a few small brades with colored beads and small feathers accenting his features. Like David, Dwayne was going to be special to her, she knew it instantly, felt it the minute he wrapped himself around her. Her mates were beautiful!

"Give 'em a break, Dove, they have waited for you a long time, we all have." and Max emmerged, and the eery feeling that she was looking at a near mirror image swept through her. She laughed. "Spoil all my fun!" she muttered. "Not at all. We just wanted near you, you are OUrs, after all. We need you." Dwayne answered causing her to melt even as she could practicly feel him smirking. "Let her go, she needs to learn what she needs to do." Max commanded and the dark haired male obeyed, though relunctantly. She walked up to the leader. "I need to know several things. I need all the items used to kill you, your residual energy will be connected to them." she went into full-on witch mode.

A wicked smile crossed Paul's face. "It just so happens the Frogs have those very items in their possesion, to keep as trophies." They all growled and she knew her eyes flashed solid black in anger, making every one but Dwayne step back. Instead, he wore a knowing smirk. "When we are back, remind me to never piss you off." he said, causing a feral smile to steal across her features. Paul's head fell back and he let out a howl. He then looked back at her. "I almost feel sorry for them, almost!" he said with a wink. "You should feel sorry for yourselves" said a voice that sent a knife like chill through her heart. "Get out of here!" she screamed to them in a panic. She knew that voice and she wouldn't couldn't allow Lasher to harm them! Seeing the pure panic on her face, the boys simply made a tight, defensive circle around her. "Sorry sweetheart, but we won't be going anywhere!" Marko quipped. "You have NO IDEA what you are dealing with , Marko!" she shrieked even as she prepared herself for the onslaught. "What part of 'Ours' was not clear to you?" Paul asked.

"How quaint." responded the voice that tormented her all her days! "Lasher, leave them out of this! They have nothing to do with us, or the family!" she demanded. He simply laughed before lunging, both being rather shocked when the Circle repelled him! Enraged, he tried again, only to drive into a invisable wall. "The protection of a Coven Circle!" she whispered, even as her energy drained by the fiend. She heard another voice, clearly fro the physical realm scream her name. Without thinking she tugged on that energy. "Go Dove, we got this." said Max and she slammed back into her body and a near insane David.

Star is having nightmares of a woman with a resemblance to Max and the long-time believed dead Lost Boys and it sets Michael on edge.

Michael's POV

Michael had been uneasy for the last month. His past was coming to bite him in the ass in the form of Star's increasing and alarming nightmares. Nightmares of q young woman with Max's looks. Each night it was getting worse and worse. She questioned everything he and the Frogs did, down to the items tehy used when they killed the Lost Boys. No matter what he did, he couldn't convince her they were truly gone, forever! She kept talking about loopholes, magickal loopholes. TO him it seemed like she had been talking in circles and contimplated that she might be suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and was about to suggest seeking help, until he saw her. A small woman with long dark hair, emerald eyes, and the facail features he had spent decades trying to forget, along with a pentegram decorated with moonstone hanging on a long chain around her neck and she carried a sizeable book bound in black leather with the words "Aserah's Grimmoire" in white along the spine. He stared after she had long gone fro her spot.

Everything about her fit Star's description to a tee! And that uncanny resemblance! He wasn't so sure that things were ok anymore. Perhaps it was time for him to start paying what Star was saying alot more attention! When he could finally get himself out of his stupor, he dialed Alan and Edgar's number. "Guys, we may have a problem. A big, BIG problem!" he got their attention immediately. "What's going on Mike?" they asked. "When we did what we did... did we mark the items with holy water?" he demmanded in near panic. "What?" they asked in unison. "Were the objects blessed?!" he screamed. "It was nearly 30 years ago, how the hell should we know Mike? What's going on?" they answered, confused. "there have been things going on. Star's nightmares may not be nightmares! I saw the very woman she's been describing with my own eyes!" he babbled at them, still in a state of shock.

"Dude you need to calm down! We know absolutely nothing about her, and at the moment, she hasn't done anything wrong. We can't risk harming someone who may be innocent!" Alan stated. Michael's blood boiled. "INNOCENT? What about Star?!" he demanded. "What about Star, Micheal? She made a choice, her own free will, to link herself to the blonde blood sucker. Maybe she didn't realize what that meant, but she didn't go into it blind, like you did. Consequences are a bitch!" Edgar's cold, unfeeling tome made him want to rip his head off, even if he did have a valid point. "You are such an ass, Edgar! Look Mike, we simply can't act till we know more, sorry man!" Alan said sorrowfully. "Alright, I'll just watch, for now, but I'm warning you, we are about to have a blast from the past. And this time, they won't fuck around when it comes to killing us!" he said. With those prophetic words, he hung up. If there was even a chance they could come back, they were all dead! He would want revenge, if he were them!

Magickal loopholes, how stupid had they been to not double check something like that?! And the woman... That was it1 She was the key to stopping everything before it started! She was a witch, and connected to them somehow, probably by accident. Just another pawn in their sick games. He had to get her to see that! Surely she was still human, she could be reasoned with! The thought lightened his burden tremendously and he breathed out a sigh of relief. Every was going to be ok. She may even be able to help them correct their mistake, and that was why Star dreamed of her! Her resemblance to Max could be nothing more than a uncanny fluke. He never noticed the pair of piercing blue eyes watching and laughing at him.

Aserah is brought back and bandaged up from Lasher's attack by David. David uses Michael's phone call to track down the Frogs after she tells him what she needs to bring his brothers back. Before he leaves he gives her the spell she needs to begin to build energy for.

Whatever was fighting with the witch, every new wound on her skin he could feel as if they wer ehis own! The raging shadows, that dark and overbearingly powerful aura that engulfed her tiny little frame, it was unlike anything he had ever seen before! She was his last hope, he couldn't stand back and do nothing! It appeared her own family secrets had followed her and there was nothing he could do to change the fact that Mayfair blood ran through her veins! So he did the only thing he could think of, trying to wake her up! He engulfed her fame with his own, taking a few of the blows himself, shaking her body, screaming her name at the top of his preternatural lungs over and over again! There were no words for the relief he felt when her eyes finally fluttered open! "What in the blue fuck was that, LIttle Bird!" he growled, knowing he was vamped out and also knowing this phased her not in even the slightest of ways. She looked down, a look of detached interest at her wounds.

She looked back at him, face stoic. "Occupational hazard. I took the risk of the family menace to get some information from the boys. I thought my new link to you would give me the ability to finally actually see them." she answered. "Jesus fucking Christ, it had better be good!" he replied, shocked out the realization he was actually deeply bothered by the marks on her perfect skin and how helpless such a powerful being like her had been to that thing and missing for a second the fact that she had been with his brothers, had been able to interact with, touch them. A cheshire smile was on her lips. "It was. The boys were able to tell me what items I needed and more importantly, who has them." she smirked. Finally he got the point. "You... you mean..." he pounced on her like an excited boy. "You were with them?! his voice was hopeful. "It was. They are in Limbo, David. Meaning their souls still draw life, they are not actually gone." she explained. A rare feeling of pure glee came over him.

"What did they say? How did they look?" he asked excitedly. "They look like they desperately need a 21st Century makeover, but still their crazy selves. And Dwayne, you could of warned a girl about the touchy feely." she said but the blush on her cheeks and the way her eyes sparked told him all he needed to know. She liked the effect his native american brother had on her, that they all had on her, and her connection, it was more than just her being of Max's line. His instant concern when she had been at the mercy of that ….thing... a sense of possesiveness when it came to her already... it looked like him and his boys finally found their mate! But they would think on that later. "And what did they say?" he asked again. "The Frog brothers kept the weapons of their demise as trophies." the spike in her anger, her eyes flashing black and the sound of crashing procelin made his mate theory seem more and more accurate as images swam her mind that he knew were his, the way they had been betrayed and died... Star was one dead bitch, and he had a feeling Aserah would claim the gypsy for herself and the Lost Boy's revenge would seem merciful in comparison for what she had in mind for her!

He had to end up holding her rocking her to get her back. "Come on my Little Bird, revenge will come later, let's focus on getting them back to us." he spoke to her gently. "I need those items David. Their living essence lingers within them." she answered. "To do the spell, I will need all of them along with your and my own blood." she continued. A wicked smile he didn't bother to hide crossed his face. "Two birds, one stone." he said aloud to himself and her. He was well aware that the Frog brothers had left town a long time ago, but Michael and Star were still there. If he could get Michael to panic, he would contact the brothers and he could use his connections to track down the signal. Aserah picked up his thought. "I think it's time to introduce myself to the Emersons." a wicked gleam that even caught his attention was in her eyes. It was a reaction that went right for his groin. This woman's naughty ways would drive him nuts!

"Track him down, I'll make sure he sees my image, and trembles like the scared little bitch he is." she commanded gleefully. "Oh my God, I am in love with this woman!" Paul's voice rang in his mind, making him chuckle to himself. he couldn't argue with him. She could compete with their own ways any day of the week and twice on Sunday! "Now that is the reason I'm starting to like you, Little Bird. You are such a little demoness!" he said with a teasing, husky tone. She struck a seductive but exaggerated pose making him laugh like he hadn't in ages. "Why thank you kind sir, I do try!" she said in her best impression of Greta Garbo. They both began to giggle like mad at the little farce she was starting with the gypsy and her clueless husband. "Go on now, you big heap! Go get us our info " she playfully pushed him and he got up. Before he opened the door he looked back at her as she began digging out supplies, going into witch-mode.

"Be careful this time. We don't want a repeat performance with that thing, whatever it was." he said. "you worry to much, Fangs. I know what I'm doing, I'll be fine, now go on!" she did the shooing motions and he left, heading straight for the boardwalk. Michael had been all to easy to find. He was still blood bonded to David, a fact of which his enemy was blissfully unaware. As promised, a very real looking image of his Little Bird sent the boy into near hysterics, amusing the vamp to no end. Poor innocent Michaell, how utterly pathetic he was! And predictable! He dialed the Frogs almost immediately! He put in a call to a hacker friend, Gavin Knox and let him work his technologial magic. He became more and more amused as Michael convinced himself that Aserah would come to his side! It was almst hard to believe, that someone could possibly be that nieve! No, the witch belonged to her Losy boys, and seemed to enjoy the thought of revenge almost as much as him!

Gavin Knox tracks down the Frogs to find them in New Orleans, seeking out information on the Talamasca. He calls David suggesting a little road trip only to find himself willingly enlisted to aid the mysterious young woman who had caught his vamp friend's interest.

Gavin's POV

Gavin Knox was beside himself. He hadn't had a job for a month, rather depressing for the young hacker. Just when he reached his boredom limit, David called him iwht a job htat tickled his fancy. Nothing quite like getting under a do-gooders skin and the vamp over paid him 3 times over! He was curious about this latest dish he had now, especially with how over protective he was of her. Whatever, the Frog brothers had been making the wrong sort of waves of late. Anyone stupid enough to get on the Talamasca's dark side deserved what they got, as far as he was concerned. It was obvious they had a death wish! He whistled as he worked, hacking his way onto the global satilites undetected. A red spot showed up over New Orelans, causing Gavin to again, be in awe of their stupidity. The most powerful of the supernatural world claimed tha city, beings that would make vamps like David look like choir boys! Hell, he would almost be doing them a mercy, by killing them before the resident bad asses of New Orleans caught onto their scent.

That is if the witches they were stalking didn't get to them first! The nieve had no buisness in being Hunters! He dialed his boss's number. "We got a hit! Morons are starting a beef with the Talamasca in New Orleans" he reported. "Are they now?" David tone was that of someone highly amused. "Perhaps its time you and your lady friend took a road trip." he suggested. His boss laughed. "You hate Hunters, don't you Gavin?" he asked. "Their black and white view of the world pisses me off!" he replied. "I'll make a video and sent it to you and the Order." he joked. "The Talamasca is no laughing matter, my friend! You don't want them going to war, it will be bead for all of us!" he said seriously. "Point taken. I don't think it's time for Little Bird to leave the nest just yet. Besides, she's having a blast torturing the Emersons. It wouldn't be right to take her from her toys so soon." Gavin laughed outright at that. "You know I have to meet her now, right?" he said. "In time. Meanwhile, keep an eye on those two. I wouldn't want them to spoil before the fun begins." and the sinister tone sent shivers down his spine, like it always did.

He never asked what happened once he found what or whom his friend was looking for and he never told. It was a unspoken rule between the two of them. "Just be careful, they got more eyes on that place than the Pentegon, ok?" he warned. "Mayfair buisness?" David asked. "Of the highest and most secret sort." he answered. Unintentionally he had learned more than he ever wanted to know about arcane secrets and Walking Babies! Scarred him for life and then some! "I have no issue with the Mayfair's, they have no reason to fear me." he said in answer. "Correct answer. Alright, go have your fun, but don't forget to tape it! I need something to bolster my mood." said Gavin. "I'll have Aserah call, you can help her plan Star's demise, it can be your special project." Gavin grinned widely.

"You know just the right things to say." he said in an over dramatized, high pitched voice with his best imitation of a southern accent. David gave him the mysterious witch's cell number before hanging up. He went scrambling for his notebook. He had no intentions on approaching her without at least a few ideas in mind. Things involving insects, lots and lots of insects! Maybe take a cue from Silence of the Lambs and go with the wonderfully creepy Death Head's moths!


	3. There's a Thing about Payback

**Chapter Three: **There's a Thing about Payback...

Aserah is contacted by Gavin and digs on the insects idea, and the Boys give a few interesting ideas on how to plague Star's dreams. David comes back and leaves but not without his new witch bewitching him in a entirely different manner and he begins to be plagued about thoughts of the entity harming her, he has to be reassured by the Boys that they will keep it cornored with them in Limbo.

Aserah's POV

David had been a way for a while, giving her much needed time to herself. Everything had been so fast...Max had warned her that it might. At least that voice that had been with her since childhood, right along with Oncle Julien's, made alot more sense. It never really bothered her that he had his reasons. And how her relatives fought with her over his influence! Rowan especially, fucking hyprocrite! After her little interlude with the Brat Prince, she had NOT ONE SINGLE RIGHT to judge her or those whom she chose to give her trust to! It's not like the witch priestess hadn't killed, the same as Aserah had murdered the drunken parents that decided she was the world's best punching bag. Her introduction to her powers had been on the dark side, she had been so young, she needed someone who understood, who didn't see the world in black and white terms, like her, and Max had been there not long after she had been brought into the Mayfair family fold.

They hadn't trusted her, and it took years for her to understand it was because who her father was. Not because he was an evil, abusive dick, but because he was descended of the very man who had been contacting her from the other side, Max. Max the vampire, who didn't seem at all like the boogie man they made him out to be. Man was a predator, like every predator, he had to eat. Humans were his food source. She happened to agree with Lestat's view of things, because the Lion acts on instinct and kills the antelope, is the Lion a monster? She missed the blonde vamp, probably her only regret about leaving New Orleans. But something had happened. She had gone to a bar after another fight with Rowan about Max. It finally got out that she could hear the Boys too, and just like with Max, she did not care about what they were, but who they were and what they felt like to her. They felt like home, and that was a feeling she never had before, and she wasn't going to loose that because Rowan was a hyprocritical bitch! She had been getting drunk.

She had been contimplating chasing after her cousin Mona, who she achingly missed, all the more now that she realized everything she had ever said about her aunt was 100% true! The sweet rum she had been drinking all that night had made that more and more appealing. Knowing after her last contact that Mona and Quinn were heading to a spot close to Santa Carlo had made that all the more appealing. That was when the bastard grabbed her from behind. All the Boys had screamed in her head but she hadn't been quick enough. Being the talented telepath she was, it wasn't hard for her to figure out who it was. A young man, who liked to force what he wanted and had done so across the city, drawing out the deaths of alot of women. The predator in her that never really died from when it awakened when she was 13 lashed out. She used her power, squeezing his heart with a look, feeling power channeling into her from Max, she knew it right away. But something went wrong. She had been seen! If it hadn't been for Armand... she didn't want to think about it!

She knew him by sight. And she knew she could trust him. It was an unspoken rule between the Mayfairs and his brand of Undead brothers. He showed her how to use her gift to change in people's minds what they saw, and helped her dispose of the body. But unlike Rowan, he never judged her. Her mind was swimming with continuing accolades of the Boys who complimented on her ability to channel them at need. She felt no guilt for what she had done. She had not intended murder but the man attacked her, she had the right to defend herself! But her aunt had been horrified and started a bitch fest unlike any before! She kept demanding if Max was involved. It was then that she let it slip in her rage. "If it hadn't been for Max and the Boys, your precious 'heiress to the Legacy" would be fucking DEAD! If they hadn't sent me that power, I would have been raped, tortured, and then raped again before he murdered me! You should be thanking them!" and her aunt then saw everything. Her hyprocritical rant sent her over the edge, her power slammed out of her sending her aunt crashing down and held her there while Aserah walked out.

The blonde vamp had caught up with her. To her surprise, there was no rant from him on Rowan. "you have abilities and connections that rival hers. To have your range of ability at your age and to be unafraid of the darker side of magick, she fears you. Perhaps it's time for you to embrace what you have held down. Understand that darker side of you. Your future lies with the secrets of your past. Leave this place, the Legacy, the Mayfairs, all of it! If you don't this family and it's demons will kill you!" and she took his sincerity to heart. That night Max had been stronger than he ever had been before. "He's right, he doesn't have any idea how right he is. Your future is with us, Dove, it always has been. My son has come home. I think it is time for you to meet him." he had been cryptic, as was his way, but she got the message and made the decision, leaving for Santa Carlo the next night. She caught the sight of a dark head of hair and an angelic face for a second that made her smile. "Fair you well, Armand. And please stop the death attempts, for me." she whispered knowing he would catch it.

Mona had caught her not long after. "Baby Girl, you have no need to explain yourself to me. Little surprised with how Lestat handled it. He wasn't so understanding with me. Maybe his time away from her has finally released him from her spell. We'll meet in time, but I think now is the time you need to connect with Max." Mona had known all about Max. Hell, with her ability she was able to tell her what he looked like! The Boys were to faint, and their connection was to her alone so she couldn't get a read on them. She took the advice to heart. She found the building that use to be Max's video store, she stood in the spot where he had died, and the connection spiralled, as did her power. Three weeks in the sea side town and she felt like a tower of power, like she was indestructable! She felt the call of her patroness, Bast, and felt the need to be alone with her goddess, but with a goddess of death it was not as simple as chanting coptic and lighting a few candles. She needed to go to the realm of the Dead, she had to call the Corners.

She had been in that very process when David ran into her, litterally! She knew him by sight, but she never expected such joy to rush through her! That feeling of home that all the Boys were to her filled her with a power she had never known before. And now she could feel them, she could touch them, hear them at all times. The touching was a bit more difficult, damn Lasher to HELL! He was going to complicate things. Family secrets were going to have to be laid bare before the Boys when she got them back. "Stop it, Princess!" she heard Dwayne's voice. "Are you all ok?!" her voice, even mentally was filled with wild panic. She heard a laugh, smooth as dark chocolate that gave her pleasurable goose bumps. "We are fine, and it was a nice little rush, we haven't had much of anything in so long, that fight gave us a release." she breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "He's powerful Dwayne, you have NO IDEA how powerful Lasher can be. There are side effects of being an almighty Mayfair." she confessed. "So we see. But that is not your fault.

You can't help the blood in your veins. He didn't do us any harm, you didn't harm us. We aren't going to go anywhere." he was trying to soothe away the fears that came from the first time Lasher made himself known to her and her world went to Hell. Lasher scared everyone away, given enough time. "Can you swear that to me?" she asked, hating how pitiful she sounded. "I can" this time she shivered, his voice was aloud, could be heard on the physcial plane and was beyond intimate, right next to her ear. She couldn't feel him here, but she knew he was wrapped around her some how. "We all can, Kitten." Paul's voice joined his. "I know he complicates things, but we won't let that happen to you again! No one hurts what is ours! We can hold him here and allow you to get strong. As strong as you need to be. And then no one, and nothing will seperate us, ever again! Just be strong, Sweet Thing. It won't be long now. David's got a lock on the Frogs and you are about to have an entertaining paw..." "MARKO!" Max and Dwayne screamed in unison. "What?! He is a pawn!" he mumbled making Aserah laugh.

"You fear to much, Dove. You will tell us what we need to know when it's time. Right now, don't you have some revenge to be plotting?" Max's voice teased her. All the Boys began to laugh. "You HAVE to let us see this! ALL OF IT, when you pull us back!" Paul cackled with glee. "Aye, laddie!" she gave him her best Scottish accent. She was pulled out of her conversation when she got a call. "Hello Little Bird, I got good news, bad news, and some good old fashioned entertainment for you." David's voice came through the phone. "You got a lock of the the dumb asses, pardon me, the Frog Brothers." she said knowingly, and David laughed sending another set of pleasant chills down her spine. "Why yes, I did. It appears they are in your old stomping grounds of New Orleans." now this sent her into hysterics! "Oh...my...are you fucking kidding me?! MORONS! Holy shit, Armand will tear them apart!" she couldn't breathe she was laughing so hard.

"So he did exist! Or does. But there's more, they've been stalking the streets for the Talamasca." and that did it! She went crashing to the floor, trying to hold her sides in with one hand while holding the phone with the other. "WOW! They really do have a death wish! There are a few darker characters in those ranks who won't hesistate to mind rape those boys to the point they think they are three year old GIRLS!" just the very thought filled her with glee and the images she was sending back to the Boys had them rolling with her and David. "As much as I would adore seeing that, and I really hate to ever try to help them, I have to keep the little shits alive long enough to get what I want and well, I can't deprive you and my brothers of your fun, now can I?" he teased. "It would be very unkindly of you indeed." she said in mock seriousness. "So bad news is, you are going to New Orleans to get the items we need for the spell?" she asked. "Correct, but I'll be sending you some company. Got a hacker friend in Los Angeles just dying to meet you. Wants to help you with Star." he said.

"Oh really, is he creative?" she asked, her tone interested. "You don't want to know the dark and twisted places Gavin Knox's mind can go." he said. "I kinda do" she said honestly. "Max was not joking about your dark side!" he teased. "So how long do you think it will be?" she asked. "Not long, Little Bird, I promise! Just a few days. Enough to get what we need and plant the seeds to get all our enemies at the same place at the same time. In fact, I need your aid in that. I'll be home shortly." he hung up soon after and she waited on the bed. It hurt a little that he had to go, but torturing that traitorus little bitch Star would be fun! It was about 10 minutes when he arrived, with her having her Grimmorie in her hands. He slid right next to her, arms going around her waist, pulling her possesively to his chest, his head resting on her chin. It had been only a day and it felt like she knew him forever! She supposed that's how it was, with mates, and her connections were so strong! "Dream magick, my Little Bird? Isn't it complicated?" he said as he read over her shoulder.

"A little, but not for me. Mona and I are very proficent in this particular area." and just mentioning her now vampire cousin made her feel a deep ache and longing. She missed her soul sister desperately! She would help her, she knew she would. Mona was as vindictive as she was! "She'll visit us soon, shhhh now." David said, reading her thoughts easily. "You wouldn't mind Mona?" she asked. "The one DECENT family member from whom we would never have anything to hide? No, I would rather like an introduction. She sounds like a hellcat!" she smiled at that. "We can be dangerous when together." she joked. "Now that is something I can believe! New Orleans didn't stand a chance!" he laughed with her. He was more easy with her now. He felt the bond, and it seemed like..." "Yes, I know what you are to me, Little Bird, to all of us!" his grip tightened and she knew he was thinking about Lasher. "His name is Lasher. He is beyond powerful, and he's strong, but so far we have him pinned in the non-physical realm, but it never last long." she said.

"What is he, Aserah?" worry crept in. "Now is not the time for that, not yet. When the time comes, I will have to start divulging secrets, terrible secrets of ancient things. But not now. I'm not strong enough yet. Not till they are here with us." and now she secretly hoped Mona would be with her when she told them all. Hell, even Quinn! "That complicated?" he asked. She nodded. She knew he didn't like leaving with Lasher on the loose. "Leave David to us, Dove." Max's silent voice sang low to her. "You worry to much, Fangs. I have more entertaining things to focus on. Tell me about my guest." she said. "Ahhh, Gavin. Eccentric nerd, and technological genius! Has a serious dark side and it is not a good thing to be on that side, especially when he can get the codes to the controls of the goverment and get control of those drones!" her interst just went through the roof! "No WAY!" she twisted herself around in his grip and her emerald eyes met with his sapphire ones. He wore an amused expression. "Imagine a far more intelligent polar opposite of the Frogs, and you have Gavin Knox." he said. She bounced on the bed with excitement. "This is going to be to much fun!" she exclaimed.

He ran his fingers through her hair and smiled at her. "Just be careful, ok? We need you!" he said. "Relax Fangs, I'm one hard bitch to kill!" she told him. "Good thing." he said under his breath. "Come on, we need to get you packed!" he looked at her strangely. "What? the sooner you leave, the sooner you'll be back, the sooner we do the spell and the Boys are here, the sooner we kill a few dumb asses and my Mona is here! Now come on!" she grinned and he got up and spun her around before pinning her to a wall. "I think I'm going to take something, first." and with his eyes flashing yellow in coiling lust he kissed her, fast, hard, and passionate, making her head spin! She was dazed and over the moon when he pulled back. He kissed the palm of her hand before taking it. "Now we'll pack." he said and he laughed when she playfully smacked his arm with her other hand and called him a tease. With her help he was packed in 30 minutes. She pulled strings and got him on a flight leaving in the next hour. She drove him herself, hoping for another one of those mind bending kisses.

"Remind me to never take your skills for granted." he said, impressed she got him not only a flight, but First Class. This time, she kissed him, softer and alot slower, but got his very blood boiling and had him pulling her in. When they parted he said her name so softly, like a prayer. "Be careful, David. Please? If you are in any trouble, call for Armand, promise me!" she didn't want him to get tangled up with the wrong being at the wrong time. "Now who worries to much? I'll be fine. The Talamasca have their own issues to destract them right now. It won't be long, now go, have some fun, and I want to hear every detail when I get back!" he said. "Deal!" she said smiling. He held on for a few more seconds before he boarded the plane. She sighed. "It's alright, You got us to keep you company Sweet Thing. And we intend too! I think we have all earned rights to pay that little bitch back! We have a few...ideas..." Marko's reassurement and talk of Star put her back in a good mood. "Do you now? Pray tell me, Cherub, what do you got?" she said, innuedo intended.

"I have alot of things for you, baby! I intend on taking VERY good care of you!" the images he sent nearly sent her off the road. "MARKO! Kinda driving here!" he chuckled. "Couldn't resist, and you started it." she could litterally feel him shrugging and that chesire grin of his! "Wait till your little playmate gets there and we'll help the brainstorm. And think Freddy Krueger." she laughed. "You ALL are such teases!" she said. "Is it wrong if we want you begging, Princess?" Dwayne purred. "Dwayne, DRIVING!" Come one now!" she complained and she could hear all of them laugh. "Boys, enough! You haven't given her longer than five minutes all day!" Max's voice travled and she smiled at the very fatherly, scolding tone it took. "Later Princess." she heard his whisper, and wondered at how strong he gotten. Stronger than the others by far, this time she felt the impression of his lips on her neck. "Later, Archangel." she said outloud. It was her nickname for him, as they all had theirs for her. David was Fangs, Paul was Playboy, Marko was Cherub, Max was Ada (elvish name for Father), and Dwayne, his connection to her was overwhelmingly strong, soul deep, he was her Archangel."

No longer had she hit the driveway when she got a phone call. "Aserah Mayfair?" a chipper voice with California accent sounded on the other end. "The same, and you are..." she started. "Gavin Knox, it's nice to hear from you. I'm a few hours out, should be there by morning. David gave me permission ti keep you company." he said. "Good late evening, Gavin. David told me about you. I need a few hours of sleep to be fully charged. What do you say to noon?" she asked. "Sounds great to me! Get a chance to check out the stomping grounds of my favorite vamp/employer" she laughed, couldn't really help it with how little boyish and cheerful he sounded. After his excited voice told her about the insects, she couldn't help but grin. She did love a devious mind! She went to sleep with a smile on her lips, not knowing that her Archangel was watching her from Limbo like a hawk, still concerned about the attack on his Princess.

Dwayne's POV

He stood guard while she slept, not able to take his eyes away, not even for a second. He felt it when Max came and sat beside him. "I know you know those secrets Max. I don't want anything hunting her! Not her! Not while I can't be there!" he said. "I know my son, I know. But I am not a Mayfair, those are secrets only they can tell us, I wouldn't even know how to begin to explain." he said softly. "How much danger is she in? Tell me, and don't try to hide it!" in his voice was a warning, something he had never done with him before. But this was his Princess! He NEEDED to know! "You have no idea! The ghosts that haunt that family are powerful, they are not us, but they are not human, either. They have different powers. Lasher is the most powerful. She is in danger because of the blood in her veins, how powerful she already is at her young age, and that she is of child-bearing age." a rage filled him, unlike anything he ever felt before, even against those who murdered him! "NO FUCKING WAY IS THAT SICK BASTARD EVER GOING TO TOUCH HER!" he growled, his eyes flashing yellow and his teeth sharpening. Waves of rage radiated off of him. He wanted to make that Thing SUFFER!

"Calm down, my son. You are very powerful, alot more than you realize, but you don't have her kind of power. It takes a Mayfair to face these things. Her and her cousin will have to battle that thing. But when that time comes, she will be sired to all of us. She will be a full mate of you, David, the other Boys. She will be able to draw on you if she needs to." his words calmed him down. He didn't really want to share her, but she belonged to all of them. He couldn't keep her to himself. For one thing, David would never stand for it. He already saw how his brother looked at her. But David was not her protector like he would be. He would be her Archangel in every meaning of the word! He didn't know how long it was before Max left and the other Boys joined him in his vigil. "She is rather beautiful, isn't she?" there was a wonder to Paul's voice that caught him off guard. He wasn't usually like that with women. He looked at Aserah differently. "There are no words to describe what she is." he said, voice filled with emotion. "We'll keep her safe. We won't let that piece of filth put so much as a finger on her." Marko said.

He felt another draw on him, and he could feel David even as he crossed the country. But he wasn't leaving Aserah. Marko patted him on the back. "She is ours, bro. She'll be sired to us soon, and then nothing will be able to hurt her, ever again." he nodded, feeling him leave. He knew more about the supernatural than even David knew though. What was after her was no more human than they were and in physical form was probably stronger than a human. Max had said only a Mayfair could take them out, so that meant that when the time came, only her vampire cousin, the red headed Mona could help destroy the family demon. He left only when he saw the sun rise on her form. "I'll never leave your side, Princess." he whispered to her before he got up and joined the rest of them to talk to a nerve wracked David. His brother was beyond frantic. In fact, like when he had been among the night walkers, his emotions mirrored his exactly! He HATED leaving her alone, and that had been his motivation in sending the hacker to help join her revenge plots.

If she was to get stronger, she needed Lasher far away from her, and then, and idea dawned on him. In Limbo, they could use what symbol she wore about her neck, Solomon's Seal. They could use it to summon and trap the bastard in there with them, leaving him unable to reach her. A slow, wicked smile crossed his face. "What is it Dwayne?" a panicing David asked. "We can trap it here. Do you remember her necklace, the golden one?" he asked David. "Yes, it had hebrew and runes on it and the Star of David." he answered. "You have seen it before. It's Solomon's Seal. We can use it and summon that thing. And trap it here with us. Once in the Seal, there is no way out. He would only be released when we leave Limbo." he explained. His brothers all turned to him and Max looked proud. "Can you really do that?" David asked. "You would be surprised on what I can do. Go on, you take care of the Frogs, we'll take care our Our Girl." he said, reassuring him and making him focus on his task. The sooner he completed his mission, the sooner he could hold his Princess for real!

He felt David's relief and they all left him. Max took charge as they made all the preparations they needed to take hold of Lasher.

Gavin arrives and the brainstorming session begins, followed by Aserah invading Star's mind and filling it with the seeds that would bloom into dreams and progress to take over her waking life.

Aserah's POV

She woke at 11:00 am, just long enough to get a shower and put on her ceremonial robe. She liked to get in the mode when she was going to do such an involved spell. Gavin arrived right at noon, with two bright red suit cases that made her laugh. It didn't take her long to figure out which way that boy swung! His flamboyant matter screamed it! "First of all, Aserah, Doll, I love the get up! It screams "Fear me, I am EVIL BITCH!" and she giggled like a small girl. "But I am exactly that, my dear Gavin! Now, I want to pick that lovely, demented head of yours!" she said as they took a spot on the couch and he took out a notebook. "I was thinking insects, lots and lots of insects! The really slimy kind, you know?! As Death Head moths! Like in the air, like an omen!" she squealed and hugged him. "I LOVE IT! Start simple and progress! We need to get them to react in the right ways. Put them at the right place and have that bitch BEG me to end it! I want her to see them. Dead, their bodies mangled, something about blood crying out for vengeance." Gavin bounced up and down like a puppy. "It's so wickedly biblical! I like it!" he exclaimed.

"You going to let us in on this, Kitten?" Paul's voice came through to her loud and clear. "You know I am! What do you got for me, Playboy?" she asked. "Well Kitten, I like where you are going with us dead and our blood crying out for vengeance. How about upping the anty?" he asked. "Go on" she said. She put a finger up to Gavin, letting him know she was talking to another. "Use something she would recongnize, have it appear in her waking world. Something small from the Cave. She used to have this tattered teddy bear." he floated her the image. "Cover it in blood on her bed, ripped to shreds, with "an eye for an eye" written in blood on the wall over it." the very image put a wicked smile on her face. She told Gavin immediately and he screamed like a woman in pleasure. "YES! BEAUTIFUL!" he exclaimed. "Put the hacker to work, Sweet Thing. Have him mess with their bills, make Mikey think his wife needs a visit from the men in white coats." Marko's idea lit her imagination and she relaid it to Gavin. "You are my new best friend." he told her solomonly, making her laugh like mad.

"What do you know about Satanic rituals, Princess?" asked Dwayne. "You really don't want an answer to that question." she responded. His laugh made her feel much better after David's departure. "Use it. The Candles, the symbols, use it and start it in her house, make her see it in the Cave with her waking eyes non stop as you progress." he purred. She shivered in delight and wrote it down. Bast, the things that man made her feel! When he was back, she already knew their connection would be overwhelming, she would drown and she didn't want to be saved! "I love you too, Princess." his voice was suddenly serious, and a joy like she never felt filled her heart. Her mates were beyond wonderful! "Moderation at first, Dove. Lead her, lamb that she is, to the slaughter. But I'll leave her to you." said Max. "Ada?" she asked. "Yes Dove." he answered. "I want her to be my first. And I want an Iron Maiden." she said. She could feel the Boys delight. "Leave the Iron Maiden to me, Little Bird." she was delighted at hearing David!

"Shall do, Fangs. Don't do anything I wouldn't do now." she teased. "Which would be what exactly?" they all asked in unison. She went back to the conversation with Gavin. "We are going to start with the insects, like you suggested. We'll start planting the seeds right now. Do you want to help me?" his face lit up like that of a child on Christmas morning. "OH YES!" he said. So he helped her set the candles, gather the supplies, and handed her her Claymore sword and her athame. Using his volunteered blood, she called upon the God of Dreams and set the scene. She sent all the images to Dwayne, being the strongest, to show the others. She could feel their interest as they watched and now felt the power that moved through her, as she transformed before their eyes for the first time. Her bond to Mona now was stronger. She could see the gypsy now, already not half the beauty she once was. David had said she had been having dreams. She was not strong in magick, but she knew some basic things, so it was no surprise she was being warned of what was coming. But she knew how to twist it, make it to work in their advantage. She wove in the seeds and images she wanted her to see. She felt the awe of her mates as she saw, felt, and moved in the magick.

It felt so good, she moved and swayed with it, singing in Hebrew and sometimes Summerian. Her limbs grew tired however, and she soon ended the ritual, using Gavin's aid once more. He gushed at her, making her smile tiredly. She sat on the couch as Gavin rushed to make some dinner for them, she had not realized she had worked that long. Her Boys were loud and clear! "I have never seen anything like that! Incredible!" Marko remarked. "Do you have to taunt a man with those moves, Kitten? And you call me a tease!" said Paul, who was obviously very horny by that display of power. "Very impressive! I have never seen a mortal who could weild power like that! You are magnifcent!" Dwayne gushed. "Well done! I am very proud of your progress and your intelligence in moderation. Something I hope you can teach the rest here." she laughed as the Boys groaned at Max's comment. "I don't think that word registers with them, Ada." she teased. "Nope, not really." Paul quipped. "No fun in it." she heard's David's voice. "Your quite a sight to see, Little Bird." he added. She could hear in his voice just how much he wanted to be there. "And so it begins" she whispered. "So it does. Don't worry, we'll be home soon, Princess." Dwayne left her with his parting shot.

She groaned, hating to have to wait for them, him in particular!


	4. Throw Away Heroes

**Chapter Four: **Throw Away Heroes

**David meets with Stirling, who is none to happy with his agents being stalked and the Frogs putting their noses in things that they have no buisness knowing about. He gives all the information that he has on where they have been spotted at what times, and the home they were staying at in the city. Gavin and Aserah continue to work together, weaving a web of madness for Star to get trapped in. Meanwhile, Dwayne leads the Boys and Max in the ritual to summon and lock Lasher in Limbo.**

**They see themselves in velvet capes**

**knights of old with gleaming swords and bright armour**

**the star of their own life long play, the princes that slay the monsters.**

**But they are the kind who use to drag the innocent to cruel fates**

**bound upon stakes and lighting the fire**

**The ones who punish because they fear**

**because their black and white world is blurring to grey**

**and they can't remember when it began to change**

**when they became in such a small set of years**

**and they became the very thing they hate.**

**-excerpts from Throw Away Heroes by Makilome**

David's POV

When his brothers had found a way to protect Aserah, an emmense relief washed over him! Now he did not have to fear what he would find we he returned home! "Gods, bless Dwayne!" he thought. He was at an outside diner, waiting for Stirling Oliver to show. They had a common enemy, and he could use his resources at the moment! Anything he could give him would only aid him to complete the mission that much faster and bring his Little Bird everything that she needed. Impatient, he fought the urge to drain everyone in the diner. This was not his territory, and he knew good and well that the vampire Armand and Lestat would go to war with anyone that would jeopardize their uneasy peace with the Talamasca, one massacre would be all it took! Finally, his friend showed, looking like he hadn't slept in days! Whatever was happening with the Mayfair Family, it had a deep impact on him. It sent a chill into his no longer beating heart. Slowly, Stirling took his seat. "We have a problem. When were you going to tell me, exactly, that they were here? All my people are very sick and tired of being followed and stalked! Everyone of us have our own problems right now and all of us are on edge enough that breaking their minds becomes more and more tempting!" his anger came off in waves.

"I just learned shortly that they were here, Oliver! I'm not the Almighty! But then again, I could help you take out your...Frog problem. But I would need information. Where do they hunt, what times? Have they an established routine? Do they seem to have a target? Do you know where they reside?" he fired off his questions. "Why would you help my Order? What's in it for you?" Stirling demanded. "We have a common enemy. Those brothers have committed crimes against my family. Crimes that are not easily washed away. There is a powerful backlash against anyone who acts with dishonour and murders those who are unable at that moment to defend themselves." his anger boiled at just below the surface. Those memories of Marko being staked first, in the dark, as he was unable to defend himself never ever left him! "We do have a common enemy. But the Talamasca does not deal out death to her enemies. As for their crimes, I do not know them. But that is not my concern. Nor is your quest for vengeance. Why should I aid you when I know what you will do with them in the end?" he asked. "Because those two put everything at risk. Don't think it's chance that they show themselves now that the Mayfair family is flocking to this city in droves!

They are after something, something that needs to stay where it is, with your Order and the Family. What are two lives to you in comparison to that of a hundred?" David replied. "You think this has something to do with the Family?" he asked. "I know it is. Remember, I too know a Mayfair. I don't intend to kill them on your turf. However, if you give me the information I want, you will get what you want. Those boys out of this city to never return. You need to look after your own. I can stain my hands and yours stay clean and both of us are rid of a major pain in the ass. Now, tell me what I want to know. Tell me, then walk away." he said. Stirling sighed. "If I must, then I must. Right now, ever since Armand has been spotted around town, they have been keeping their eyes glued to the Rue Royale. They go there as soon as the sun is down. As Armand is far to smart for them, they give up after a two hour vigil and then patrol the French Quarter, following any of my agents sent out to do a job! At midnight they keep a close eye on the Mayfair home. They have managed to make things far worse than ever, leaving the corpses of the fledlings they get lucky with and slay for us to clean up, not caring about risky exposure!" he answered.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" David said in a mockingly sweet tone. Stirling shook his head at him. "This isn't a game, David! We are about to be in the fight of our lives and we don't need anyone slinking around, meaning us no good when we are in the bind we are!" he yelled. "I don't need to know your secrets or what you face. I am well aware this is not a game, and don't talk to me as if I am some insolent child! I am not what you see!" David raised his voice, not much but just enough. His eyes went yellow for a split second. "Now, I need to know where they are living right now. They have some items, items that do not belong to them. Items that they will follow once I take them back. They will follow me back and you will be left in peace." he spoke, trying to calm his tone. Fighting his own sense of right and wrong, David watched as Stirling battled with himself in his head. Finally, he gave him the information he needed. He gave his friend a slow smile. "I need just one favour of you. I need you to lead them on a wild goose chase tonight. I want them to see things that aren't really there, and keep them away from that house for as long as possible." he said.

"I figured as much. But if those boys hurt one of my agents, I won't be responsible for their actions." Stirling said. "Fair enough. Put in the call, I don't plan on staying here longer than I have to. I have my own very important matters to tend to." David replied. He stayed in his seat till Stirling finished with making the preparations for the said wild goose chase. He zoomed out of the restraunt, feeling a freedom and joy he had not known since the brothers robbed him of his family! Paybacks were a bitch, and no one was going to lift a finger to help throw away heros. Especially with how far from grace they had fallen! He found the small home they were renting and entered to the mind of Alan, the weaker and kinder of the two. They were sharpening weapons, something that he was sure Oliver would not be happy with! They didn't see a difference between witch and vampire! The blood that now stained their hands had turned them from being heroes into becoming the very thing that they haunted, monsters! As they argued he caught small bits of information. Something about a legend and walking babies. Something told him that this was important, but neither of the boys knew what to think and what they had was very little to go on.

They left 3 hours after sunset, and being as untrained as they were, they didn't even notice something was off near them. The house was completely unprotected. There were no spells to shield them from the supernatural world that was New Orleans. It was a costly mistake that they were going to pay dearly for! He broke down the door and utterly trashed the place, becoming a vampire wrecking ball! Deep inside one of the bedroom closets, underneath loose floor boards there was a box. It blew him away how simple minded they really were! Inside he found their grusome trophies. The antleers that had pierced him, the stake that went through Marko, the arrow that caught Dwayne, all of it was there! When he touched the items, everything his Little Bird had told him began to make sense! He could feel the living essense of his family in those items. He could see almost with the naked eye the power that pulsed around them. After packing up the items, he went back to work, breaking every window, every bit of glass and clay in the place. He then painted over their bed "An eye for an eye. Blood for blood." he bit into his wrist, leaving a bloody hand print by his handy work.

He left not that long after. With the scene set up, he knew those boys would be chasing after him. It set up an reckoning he had been waiting for! He called Aserah as soon as he left. "Little Bird, I have what you need." he said. "And then some..." he could hear the laughter in her voice. It seems like Paul had some competition in the perverted department! "Come on! Against me? Boy doesn't stand a chance!" she responded aloud to his thoughts. "Things are being set up here. But if you really want to set the stage, make your trip home something that is difficult to follow. And make sure you are seen in places they are sure to stop. It will intimidate them and make them that much easier to manipulate. Besides, you DID promise me an Iron Maiden." she continued. He laughed, enjoying the image in his head of her using said toy. "That I did. And you shall have it." and with that, David began to search the city for the relic. "That girl will be the death of me yet! An Iron Maiden?! It's wrong, how very hot that is!" whined Paul inside his head. David smiled. "She will be everything that Star could never be. She was born for us! And soon she will be ours forever. Untill then, your hand has to be your bedfellow." he smirked at his brother's groan.

"Come on Playboy, Dwayne said it's time. We got to get going and get that thing locked in here!" Marko called out to Paul.

Aserah's POV

It had been two days since David left. From early morning till sun set her and Gavin built upon the images they were invading Star Emerson's mind with. Each time had been delightful! Aserah built upon her fear, making the dreams more and more vivid and slowly more and more violent. She had been using omens of death. The Crow, the raven, the Death Head's moth now showed in her head and tortured her durring the day. Her Boys were with her every step of the way! She could feel them getting stronger and stronger by the day. Soon it would be time, and she did everything she could to store up her power, because for the spell she had to do, she would need every bit of power she could muster! Even then she knew that once they were brought back to the living plane, she would be in no condition to do anything other than pass out where she stood. But she knew she could withstand the magick. Her body would not remain vulnerable. "Talk to me Princess." she heard Dwaynes' voice. "About?" she asked. "How much is this going to take out of you?" he asked. She could feel his worry. "I'm not going to lie to you. It's going to do a number on me. It's a powerful spell." she answered.

"Will it harm you?" he demanded. "No, not like how you mean it. I may pass out, but that will be it." a small smile appeared on her face. "Any particular reason the thought of passing out makes you smile?" he asked, sounding fustrated. "You care. Do you know how long it's been that someone cared about what happens to me when I do these powerful acts? The fact that you are willing to put yourself last for me, it's kind of overwhelming." she said. "I don't what is more disturbing, the fact that a monster cares more about you than humans do, or that you care that a monster cares at all." he replied. Aserah laughed at the comment. "You know little of the world in which I live. Here, babies kill babies, madmen use Holy War as an excuse to kill thousands of innocent civilians in a moment, the rich buy the goverment who send young boys and girls to war over the bottom line. At least you and the other Boys have actual, legimate reasons to act as you do! What's humanity's excuse?" she answered. "Babies killing babies?" he asked. The memories made her sad. "1998, Columbine Highschool, Littleton Colorado. Two young boys got of hold of military grade weapons and assasinated 13 people, execution style before taking their own lives.

There are more, but that one sticks out to me the most. It teaches a horrible lesson. And the lesson is this, monsters are not born, they are made by those who are around them. Any who think those boys acted out of pure evil don't understand the nature of evil in the first place." she replied. "It is a dark, imperfect world. Darker than it has ever been. Hatred seethes just underneath the surface, penetrating everyone and everything. Humanity as a whole is not innocent. All of us have just as much blood on our hands then you do, but it is out of greed, and hatred. Tell me Dwayne, did you ever kill anyone out of hate? Did you hate everyone you killed? Or did you do it to keep alive? What makes you any different from the lion, when humans are your source of sustenance?" she continued. She could feel the information and her questions roaring through his mind. "Monsters are indeed man made. But they are still monsters, I am still a monster, non-the-less. The universe and morality does not care about reasons, it cares about actions. Reasons are not relavent." he responded. "Then I am as much a monster as you are, and so is the rest of the Mayfair family, for that matter. I have killed, at the bar in New Orleans, and when I was a child. If reasons are not relevant, then I am the same as you." she could tell her cool headed answers were beginning to have an effect. "You are far to intelligent for your own good, you know that Princess?" he asked.

"I would surely hope so!" she said with a smirk. "Now what is this I hear about what you are doing with Lasher? If the slightest thing goes wrong..." she started. "You seem to forget something. I was not simply an ordinary mortal when I was turned. I was running from being pulled into a position in my tribe in which I would never be able to leave. I know what I'm doing. You have other things you need to be focussed on, and you need to build up your strength to do this." he reminded her. "Then do it quickly, while he's still weak." she said. "When it is time." And with that, the conversation ended. She didn't think the others knew just how often he spent time with her. There were secrets he kept from his brothers, secrets of just what he was capeable of. Not long after speaking to Dwayne she began to plot again with Gavin. Time was short, it wouldn't be long before David came home with the items she needed. She had to double her efforts with Star and give the gypsy the images to lead all of them to the right place at the right time. She was weaving two ideas together. The Satanic rituals he had sugested, and Paul's teddy bear idea. Just to really disturb them all, she included images of them being mangled and slowly healing, coming back to life.

"Doll, I think it is offical." Gavin said to her after they planned out the dreams they would send to Star this time. The stakes were being raised, it would be a bit more complicated to sew in the images to enter and torment Star durring her hours awake. "What is offical?" she asked in a teasing tone. "You are more disturbed than I am, and coming from me, that's saying something!" he said. Laughter bubbled out of her. "Nah. I'm just a damn good witch!" she replied, play hitting him in the arm as he play cried from it. She rather liked the man, and he was quickly becoming a good friend. But if he mentioned her wardrobe one more time, she thought she just might use the Vader choke hold on him! He didn't know when to quit! She had never been a fashion diva, she had her own style, it was a modern/medieval look that she took years cultivating. She was the Original Goth Hippie if ever there was such a thing! What would happen if Jerry Garcia and Dita Von Tease ever had a love child is that her style would develop! She refused to go shopping with him, not feeling like being drug all over the the great Abyss of Death that was the mall. She was pretty sure that the mall was evil, and that the gates of Hell that said "Abandon all hope, yee who enter here was engraved on it!

The only reason should would volunter to go to one was to update Paul and Marko's apparel, both were in rather desperate need! The Mullets and the horrible 80's hair had to go, along with that era's God awful clothing! She pulled herself out of her thoughts and began again to talk about the next step in leading the Frogs and their accomplices to be at the right place, at the right time. She used the very thing Michael had wanted to believe and painted her as an unwitting participant in the rebirth of the Lost Boys. There would come a time when she might be called upon to be a spy, and so she had to set things up in which the soon to be victims would not suspect her intentions. She called the Corners, and used her own blood to make the images in Star's dream bleed into her reality. Everywhere she went, the staring, terrifying images of the Boys in the forms in which they had placed them in by their attack would torment her. They wouldn't say a word, only continously show her their wounds and tell her "You betrayed us. You betrayed your coven, and for such acts, there can only be one sentence." she had dream David telling her. Everywhere she looked, Aserah made sure all that Star could see was blood. And in every dream there were the symbols of the Crow and the raven. It gave a wonderful sense of forboding.

Alright folks, I know it's rather annoying, I'm not going to go into detail about how Lasher is kept in Limbo. Next chapter will bring the arrival of Dwayne, Marko, Paul, and Max. Thank all of you who read this and REVIEW! 


	5. Homeward Bound

**Chapter 5: **Homeward Bound

**David finally returns home with the weapons used to kill his family. He learns all about what Aserah has been doing with Star, although he does not react well when she tells him about her idea of being a double agent to make sure the Emersons and the Frogs are all at the same place, at the same time. Aserah keeps the knowledge of her likely passing out after the spell between her and Dwayne as well as the threat that Lasher will more than likely pose in the near future. The Boys return to a world dramticly changed from the one that they had left and begin the bonding and turning of Aserah immediately to speed her recovery from the spell.**

**I have been a million places**

**a million faces can be recalled**

**landmarks of a life violently stalled**

**and I stood still as the world surged at lightening rate**

**And it is quite baffling to me**

**How everything changed so fast.**

**Everything I knew no longer applies**

**When I return to a world changing at the speed of light**

**and yet the old saying is just as true as it was in the past**

**there is nothing new under the sun inspite of what it seems.**

**A changing world that does not change man**

**all motives ever the same from the time I left**

**the same that nailed Christ to the cross as Mary wept**

**And I am not afraid to embrace a world made of present and past**

**That which has always been shall always be.**

**and such is the meaning of true immortality.**

David's POV

His mind was going over and over what was soon to take place as he entered the city limits of Santa Carlo. The weapons that held the life of his brothers and his surrogate father pulsed against him. He had waited decades for the moment he would be able to make good on the promise he made on what remained of his brothers remains. It seemed that in the great scheme of things, what had happened to all of them had happened for a reason, and he couldn't help but think that it was for Aserah to become a part of them that it took place at all. If not for the demise of his family, she would have been seen as nothing more than an interesting meal and the wonderfully complex and dark woman he had grown to adore in the short period of days would have been drained before she would be able to become what she was meant to be for all of them. And without those things taking place, the young witch would have been left alone to fend for herself against that Hell spawn that was Lasher! Just the thought of that entity filled him with rage and horror at the same time! If she wanted to rid the world of such a demon forever, she needed their strength, their power, and their love. Without them she, powerful human even though she was, would not have survived whatever sick plans had been laid for her.

He knew he would not change things now, now that the horrible night in which Star betrayed them all had led to bringing his Little Bird to them all! He didn't want to think about his life without having her in it! Which brought him back to her words before. Lost Girl as she already was, she could not outrun the Mayfair blood that ran through her veins! Horrible secrets that tormented her every moment would have to be laid bare before them all. Ancient things, things that reached back into a time nearly beyond recall would be factoring in the soon to be future. If Lasher was as powerful as he seemed to be, how could they all help her fight her personal demon without said entity taking her life, whether she was made undead by then or not? "Bro, now isn't the time for that. We deal with one thing at a time. Our witch has to do feats that require great power tonight, feats that will bring us back into the waking world. If the slightest mishap takes place, anything could happen! Tonight the only thing that matters is the task at hand. Nothing can destract you from it. It must be the only thing that you think about. Your will must be stronger than that of reality. Nothing can destract you from the end you are seeking to achieve." Dwayne's voice broke through.

He held his emotions in check as the Lost Boy to whom he was the most close to was far stronger than he had ever been! To hear his silent voice and feel his prescence so very strongly after all this time filled him with a joy he could never explain with words! The strength he felt as he got within a block of his home filled him with a confidence that everything would happen as it was supposed to! They would be together, they would be the family Max had always wanted them to be at long last! Their beautiful Aserah would be made one with them. He knew already that she would be the heart of their coven. He never thought about what kind of mate he wanted till he almost toppled them into the place between planes that night. But now he knew he could answer that by only listing everything about her! She was so strong, jaded, powerful, intelligent, with a demented sense of humour that rivaled Paul's that he couldn't help but think that she had indeed been made to be their perfect mate! The porch light was on, but there was no way that the current occupants of the house would be able to hear his arrival from the blasting music coming out of one of his neighbor's homes.

He decided he was going to have a little fun with his Little Bird when he had crossed the California state line. He wanted to achieve two things. First, making her jump before she tackled him amused him immensly and second, he wanted to appear to her in his true form. He wanted her to really understand what she would become before she freely gave herself to them. He refused to make the same mistake he had with Star! He let go, filling pleasue as he let the predator in him take over. And he was baffled immediatly! In this form he could always sense other predators, and one within his house sang to him a siren's song that he couldn't and didn't want to ignore! As he silently entered the front door, happy about the fact that Gavin, who was in the know, followed through with keeping her distracted from the front door, it became clear that the predator he felt dwelled inside her! Something inbedded in the darkest parts of her soul, forged at a time when others her age would have been worrying about trivual things such as their latest crush! The realization put a smile on his face. Her darkness was such that she would never turn on them! She would complete her transition into becoming fully a vampire without hesitation or looking back, she would embrace the Dark Gift that she was to recieve.

The strong smell of herbs being prepared reached him as he neared the kitchen. Gavin kept her mind on the conversation they were having about Star. She prooved to be a master of extremely colorful language as she ranted and raved in her hatred for the gypsy and what she had done! He almost felt sorry for Star! Unlike the others, her death would not be quick! He thought on the Iron Maiden he had found in the black market of New Orlean's underground and he knew now that she would not shrink from bringing death to another. Aserah had a very real sadistic streak which became more and more aparent as she discussed ideas with Gavin on what she intended to do with Star. Silently he entered the light filled room, the bag containing the life force of his brothers slung over his shoulders. Gavin caught sight of him from his place at the dining table. He gave him a wink and held a finger to his lips signalling him to not alert the witch to his presense. A small nod and a smirk was his response. Being the hunter he was he snuck behind her quickly, only to groan when she opened her mouth. "You are going to have to be more stealthy than that if you wish to sneak up on a witch, David." she said in a teasing tone.

He growled playfully as he wrapped arms around her from behind and she laughed. She spun around, a glowing smile on her lips that made him feel slightly weak in the knees. She looked him directly in the eyes. And there was no fear there, not even the slightest hint of it! Her body did not tense up or shake. There was no revulsion in her body language or within her mind. It was just the opposite! Her inner predator purred like a cat upon seeing his features! He understood now, just what Max had been telling him. The beautiful young woman was fated from the time she had been within a womb to become theirs. She and no other. That was the reason why though attracted to the gypsy, she had never really felt right to him. Why the boys never even tried to seek something beyond a sport fuck and a meal with other young women. Because none of them could ever be what she was meant to be to all of them. "I hope you know what a buzz kill it is that I couldn't get you to jump, even once!" he spoke in the same teasing tone. He relaxed his hold, reveling in the new light in her eyes. The life that he and his brothers had given her after her own blood had took away that light.

"You aren't that dissapointed! It did proove a point to yourself, after all! Even if you planned on simply using me to bring them back and then to disgard me later, I would not fear you. I and death have been on speaking terms long before this was set in motion. It has never been something I feared. There are far worse things to fear. Now, my fated and wonderful Fangs, the moment has come. I'm finishing up preparations now for our task tonight. But first we need to send off Gavin properly over there." said person groaned in response. "Do I have to?" Gavin asked as both faced him. "I'm sorry my friend, but what we must do tonight is complicated and dangerous. All the more so to those who are not of the supernatural world. If you stayed your energy would be sucked out of you by the magick being used and you would no longer be here to help our Little Bird with her wonderful plots." David said to him. He gave them both a small smile. "Very well, but don't be strangers! Call me when you are done." he replied. Aserah left his arms and helping the hacker to his feet, she gave him a damn near crushing hug! They all made their way towards the living room, where his luggage waited against the wall by the door.

He lifted both small suit cases while David opened he door and they followed him out to his car. He placed the luggage in the trunk and turned back to them. He gave Aserah a tearful hug. "Promise me you'll be careful, Doll! Don't do anything that you would not be able to recover from, ok?" it was obvious the two had become friends rather fast. She gave him another, gentler hug. "I promise, Slim. You be sure to do all that I told you when you get home. Wear the charms I gave you and never take them off! No vampire or witch will dare come against you as long as you wear them. If you are in danger you rip off the chain and break the glass. They will sense the power that protects you." he was shocked at the urgency in his tone. He may have to talk to the hacker later, it was clear that something was not quite right with him. David shook his hand. "I owe you for looking after our girl. You are always welcome here, and as long as you are here, you will come under my family's protection. Save journeys, Gavin." he said. They watched as he got in and started his car. In his usual dramatic fasion, he blew them both a kiss before making a playful comment about stealing Aserah and her having the ability of turning gay men straight. When the car passed out of sight she turned to him, all hints of playfulness gone.

"It is time. Give me the items. We need to finish prepping together. This one time, you have to allow me to lead. Everything I say you must do without question. This is absolutely crucial! You need to make sure you are ready for this. The slightest hint of doubt will do untold damage. Are you ready, David?" he knew she had to ask, but he still couldn't stop the thought that it was a stupid question! He had been waiting and dreaming about this moment for more years than he cared to count! "I am ready. Do we have enough to fend off Lasher long enough to complete the spell?" he asked. "Anytime you want to stop underestimating us David would be good. Lasher can not interfere with her until the ritual is complete and our energy used to complete Solomon's seal leaves Limbo to enter our bodies once again. Now let her do her magick." Dwayne's voice came through loud and clear. He dismissed the tone of his voice as nerves. After all, the world the boys would wake to would be one that was though much the same, was also vastly different and alien to the world they had left. "I don't undersetimate you, I seek to estimate correctly what threat that thing poses to what we do this night." he answered calmly. The deacades between now and then had taught him patience and control over his emotions that he didn't use to possess.

"Easy, Archangel! The same applies to all of you as well. I am the High Priestess, and as such must be obeyed in that fashion, even though I know that you understand what I need you to do. Are you ready for this?" she asked in her silent voice that rang in his mind. "I am, Princess. I've been waiting for this, for you my whole existence. I am ready to come back." the affection in that tone, that devotion he could feel down in his very bones sent David off guard! The feelings his brother harboured for their Little Bird were overwhelmingly strong and intense, and they were soul deep! He and the others were falling for her, he knew that. The tenderness Paul had already displayed had shown that she was the only female that he had ever and would ever regard with love that was real. But Dwayne was well beyond the falling point. It was quite clear that he was deeply in love with her, and that it was mutual! He thanked the gods that she was meant for all of them and that even though he may wish to, his brother would not seperate her from her other mates. "I am ready for anything and everything, all I need to know is that you are waiting for me, Kitten." Paul's usual jokester persona was set aside to reveal a side of him that David had seen only a handful of times.

"You fear to much, Sweet Thing. We are going to have to remedy that." Marko said. "It's time Dove, and David my son." Max's voice rang out to them. She took David's hand into hers and they headed back into the house. The sense of his family grew stronger and stronger as she worked, her power beginning to weave around them, her will penetrating into the ritual they were soon to preform. One by one they took the trophies of that long ago night and she poured herself into them, and he marked each one with his own blood. It was captivating to watch her, to feel her power wrap around her like a warm blanket, her eyes lit bright with dancing flames from within. Slowly that power reached out from her and into him. They prepped everything, marking all the items with their mingled blood. They gathered the items, her Claymore sword, her intricate athame, her offering bowl and a ceremonial wine bottle that resembled the one he use to have, years and years before. And like years before, there was blood mingled with the liquid. Her candles went in, along with offerings for each of the Watch Towers. Last of all items was the snake which would have to be sacraficed.

When they were ready she turned to him and something he never expected to come out of her mouth was heard. "Take me to the cave, David. The rites must be preformed in the place were the first blow had been struck." she said. They had already argued as they worked about whether she would or would not become a double agent for them in their persuit for revenge. Though pain struck at his heart at the thought of beholding the burnt remains of the place he and his family had called home filled him with horrible pain, he knew that this was the time when he must do everything she commanded. And so he nodded, deciding that until things were said and done, he wouldn't allow her to even waste the energy it took to talk to him, just in case. He did however note with satisfaction the look of wonder on her voice when they rose in the air, her gift pulling on his to be able to transport their supplies with them as they moved. It was mere minutes when they came upon the familiar sight. He fought tears and old emotions when he beheld it. After all this time, some things really did remain the same! He made her cling to him as they dropped to the opening. He turned off all of his emotions.

"Let the beast take you over, David." she commanded and he obeyed, not fearing for her when he gave in completely. She laid out the items, weaving more power into the act. He was shocked by the amount of power she actually really had within her. As she reached out to the Watch Towers he set everything in place. She came before him, the end of her athame pointed against his heart. "It is better that you rush upon this blade than enter the circle with fear in your heart. How do you enter?" she asked. "With perfect love and perfect trust." he recited, entering in and giving her a peck. The power of the deities reached out, taking the sacrafice of the snake and making visable in white flame the Circle. She raised her arms slowly, speaking in a language he did not understand but was filled with power on a scale he never knew even existed! All the candles were lit with it and their flames rose high. A bonfire ignited from no known source before them. "Drop to your knees." she spoke. He followed her lead, both kneeling in front of the fire. She took the wine that had their mingled blood and sang, calling out into the plane of Limbo, and to his surprise, he could feel his family answer! He could feel them more and more!

He felt control over his own body cease as they both began to sway back and forth to her song. The circle blazed with life around them, and slowly the items they needed began to rise in the air and move to the four cardinal points inside the circle. The candle flames rose higher and higher, as they did the sound of his brother's voices were nolonger silent inside his mind, but audible and echoed off the cave walls! In awe he watched as he had to remain kneeling while Aserah rose, bathed in brillaint light. Soon it was to bright for even his eyes to withstand. He could feel the draining going on within his witch but he could do nothing to stop that. When she opened her eyes light shot out, shot out from her entire form! She reached for him and he responded by instinct, giving her the dagger which she then used to cut into her palm. He controlled his blood lust as she passed the dagger to him and motioned him to do as she did. She flicked her wrist over the bonfire which began to change from yellow to blue as she continued to chant. He cut into his wrist and followed her actions. She filled two goblets with the blood wine and they set it by the bowl. When she put the petals into the offering bowl David yelped in shock as it turned molten and smoke began to rise and reach into the cave, penetrating everything.

The candles flames reached higher and higher, and then, where they had stood he could see the forms of his long lost brothers, though they were faint and not entirely corporal. Aserah grabbed his hand, not letting him get locked into that state, and those forms along with her dance and joined in the chanting. Soon, as he felt her power begin to fade, his brothers became corporal! Joy filled his heart! One by one, they all entered and did as they had done, blood in the magickal flames. And then, suddenly, all the flames and the bonfire went out! He was alarmed when Aserah's form collasped, but she never had the chance to hit the ground! Dwayne moved to fast for him to see and had her now unconcious form in his arms. "Close the CIrcle, David." he commanded with urgency. He did as he was asked, watching all the while. Dwayne bit into his own wrist, his actions desperate and his hold on her possesive and protecting. He gently opened her mouth. "It is time now. Drink, drink deeply Princess!" his voice was gentle, protective. It was a side he had never seen of him! He was relieved when after a minute, she began to swallow.

He beckoned to Max, who took her from his arms and repeated the action. "It's time to join our Family, Dove. Drink well." and she swallowed all he had to give without hesitation. Paul came forward with an expression on his face he had never seen him have to the fairer sex! He brushed her hair back and did as the other two had. "It's my turn now, Kitten. A little more." he coaxed her and she immediately responded to his voice, making him smile fondly at her form. Lastly, Marko came forward and fed her from him. As he did the smoke faded and the ritual completed. They were fully back in the real world! They made sure to restart the fire long enough to destroy the items of their former demise. To his surprise and everlasting delight, she had restored the cave into what it had been before, no trace of the fate they had suffered was shown. They stared in wonder, but Dwayne and Max only had eyes for Aserah. Max held her again, Dwayne's hand firmly clasped hers and fear struck his very heart at the thought that in this act, she sacraficed herself! "My sons, she is alive. But she needs rest." they all circled her. Each had the uncontrolable urge to touch her and indulged. "We need to go now. We will reclaim our home later. I have a house here. Follow me." and they all rose in the air as one.

When they got there they all embraced tearfully, making David sort of glad their mate was not awake. They would never have heard the end of it! They spent the night talking till the dawn began to approach. They made a makeshift place within the carpeted basement. He wrapped his arms around her from the back and nuzzled her neck while Dwayne pulled her to him and wrapped around the front, kissing the girl's forehead, eyelids, and mouth and thanking her over and over again. Before taking their spots both Paul and Marko kissed her eyelids. Then darkness came over him with the coming of dawn and he knew peace, real peace and happiness and completeness for the first time since that horrible night. They were here, alive again! And they were finally complete. They had their mate, their Lost Girl, nothing would be able to tear them apart this time. Not ever again!

The Boys are here! :D:D:D:D In the coming chapter each of the Boys consumate their claim with Aserah. She fills them in on everything she had done to set their revenge into motion. Mona calls when she feels her bond with her now only half human cousin change. Lasher lulls them all into a sense of safety while he plots to take the witch before she can complete her transformation.


	6. A New Old World

**Chapter 6: **A New Old World

The Boys, one by one begin to establish claim on their witch as she begins tutoring them in the 21st Century. Her first victims are Paul and Marko, for which she braves the horrors of the mall to give their look a very much needed upgrade!

Under the lights we stand tall

Nobody touches us at all

Showdown, shootout, spread fear within, without

Spread the word through out the land

They say that bad guys wear black

We're tagged and we can't turn back

You see us comin'

And you all together run for cover

We're takin' over this town.

-Cowboys from Hell excerpt from Pantera

Paul's POV

The house was shaking to the sound of screaming guitars and thumping base when he woke in the evening! It appeared the rest were already up, making him smile an evil smile. Left alone, his witch just up stairs, listening to the kind of music that was right up his alley! In fact as he got closer to the door he almost swallowed his tounge at the lyrics he was hearing! It sounded like someone had been following him and the Boys back in the day and wrote a theme song for them! And as heavy as the song was, there was this insistant groove that just went down to your very bones! Whoever the guitarist was he was masterful! A genious! Perhaps this new century wouldn't be anything to fear, after all! He came into the living room only to have his sense assaulted by smells that made his mouth water and his knees go weak! He caught the sight of the beautiful witch, holding onto a wooden spoon as she spun around the cabinents and banged her head to the music, singing the lyrics at the top of her lungs and wearing a wide smile. A glass half filled with red wine was on the counter, meaning that if he was lucky, his girl was right and properly buzzed!

Before he even got to act on his urge to sneak up on her however, she opened her mouth. "Take a picture Playboy, it lasts longer!" she remarked, causing him to groan aloud. "Do you HAVE to take away all my fun, Kitten?!" he whined as he sat at the table. She turned around and he didn't even hide the fact that he was eyeing her. How could he not?! The girl had on a black corset threaded through with red lace, her arms were covering in winding gold bracelets with the heads of serpents, wore a matching choker, and her long dark hair was bound up in a massive messy bun to reveal hoop earrings and unbelievably long and slender neck. A matching, blood red, flowing skirt with asian style dragons in black reached her ankles, clad in gold sandals that laced up and glowed on her feet. And that dancing, dear gods! He was going to make her pay for that teasing, soon, or he was pretty sure whatever sanity he had left was going to be gone! Her full lips wore a playful smirk. A suggestive gleam was in her eyes and he suddenly was very happy with where this was going! "Not ALL of it. However, you and Marko are my victims for this evening. The red wine is for you. You are going to need it!"

Why was he suddenly terrified?! Oh yeah, when Aserah got that sadistic look in her eyes, it meant the person on the recieving end's demise! She let out a laugh. "Oh relax, Playboy! It's just the mall! At least that is what I keep telling myself." the last part was mumbled and he couldn't help but to chuckle. They were interupted by the voice of his brother. "Abandon all hope, Sweet Thing" Marko teased as he came in and picked up the wine bottle and took a long swig. She gave him a glare and took the bottle from him to take her own long swig. And how hot was it that she didn't show even the slightest grimace at the burn of the alchohol?! Before placing the bottle down she took a long whiff, giving away the fact that she was a wino and had been for quite some time. "We will see who's laughing when I'm done with you, Cherub!" she sent the challenge in his brother's direction. Now if he could keep her ire in that direction, he might come out of this evening in one piece to ravage his witch another night! His brother's smirk was kinda of contageous though. "You going to rape me, Aserah?" his voice was highly suggestive. A lovely blush crept up her neck but she didn't back down and she didn't try to hide from them.

"You never know! In fact, that isn't a bad idea. Give those zombiefied bastards at the mall a REAL show!" and all the sudden Paul felt the need for a cigerette! Marko got up and snaked an arm around her waiste and vamped out. There was not any hint of fear at all in her! Nothing! Just a small smile and the gleam of excitement in her eyes. She was really unlike any human he had ever been in contact with! He wished to the gods they had come upon her instead of Star all those years ago! "You shouldn't tempt us so, my little witch. We may just take you up on it!" and he just about fell over at the lust that just brought up in her! He didn't want to admit it but David might end up being right about having competition in the perv department! "Don't make promises you won't keep Marko." her voice was dead serious and he could tell by his brother's voice that things were getting way beyond playful! he cleared his throat as loudly as possible to get their attention off one another. "Another time, children." he reached for her hand and stared into her emerald eyes and allowed himself to drown, for a moment.

"Don't we have some place to be?" he asked. She gave him a smile that went straight for his undead heart, the first one to have ever done so before! She wrenched herself out of Marko's grasp, making said man pout slightly but he began to master himself. They needed to be in control of their beasts if they were going to be in a populated area for any length of time. She grabbed both of their hands and led them to where she had been sleeping. The room was penetrated with her smell and he took a moment to breath it in. On the bed laid to sets of clothing, slightly big but they would serve for the night. "You both need desperate updates to your clothing and there is no way in Hell I am letting you out of here in those 80's duds! Not going to happen! You are taking all those hair products out, Playboy! You have no need for them anyway." her wink almost made him buckle. He decided turnabout was fair play and pulled her to him after he rid himself of his mesh shirt. "And you are sure this is not a ploy to get us out of our clothing?" he whispered in her ear and smiling when she giggled in response. She turned in his grasped and looked him dead in the eyes, something few had ever done and lived to tell the tale.

"If I wanted to do that, I wouldn't have any need for a ploy, would I?" she said in a seductive tone and licked her lips. It was to much! "Shouldn't have done that, witch!" he said before crashing his lips on to hers and in that very moment he knew he would never be able to get enough! She tasted of dark chocolate and spice, of every sin that you longed to commit but never had the guts! Addicting, a drug that once it hit the blood stream there was no turning back! He pulled her small curvy body more into hers and laced his fingers into her bound hair, pulling it out and letting the silk flow out and onto his skin. He pulled away, eyes alight and lips wearing a smirk at the dazed expression on her face. He still had it! "As wonderful as that just was, I don't think they let you enter the mall shirtless, my dear!" she got out when she finally collected herself. She got out of his grip, though how he couldn't tell you. "I have make-up to get on, so you finish up. I got food on slow boil. I'm going to get you guys addicted to Italian! It should be ready by the time we get back." She left them with a teasing gaze and blowing them a kiss before she swept out.

He and his brother both collasped on the bed with a groan! "Dear God, she may be the death of me man!" Marko exclaimed. A laugh bubbled out him. "If that is what is going to be the death of me, I'm happy to go!" he said. Both of them laughed. "Now that I would have to agree with! Did you SEE that corset! I am going to make her pay for that..." his brother responded. Paul had to agree. That thing was scandolous! However it was time to concede to his Kitten's wishes if she were to concede to any of his, and so he picked up the clothes she gave him and headed towards the shower, only to laugh at the brand new razor he knew was to be his. His brother left him after he finished dressing. He knew the first thing going would be Curly's mullet, making him grin. At least all he had to do was shower! The warm water splashed over him and he allowed himself to indulge in a brief fantasy of what he planned to do next time he graced the tub before he pulled his mind out of the sexual funk it had been in and prepared himself to be drug all over the place for a 21st Century upgrade he knew she had been planning for a WHILE now!

He still blow dried his long hair before pulling back in a low pony tail. He left his earrings in, somethings he wasn't going to concede! He pulled on the t-shirt and the dark jeans and put his shoes back on only to hear hysterical laughter from the livingroom. "Behold, South Park Cherub! Come on, you have to admit that is an improvement on what you had!" Aserah's room floated to him as he came in. "BP and apologizing about unleashing Cthulu?! It's hysterical, in an extremely twisted way!" Marko countered. "We're sorry we awoke the Dark Lord and brought upon the world a thousand years of death of madness!" the witch quoted before falling over she was laughing so hard, and Marko joined her, both of them near tears! Color him intrigued! "Something to introduce me to later I see!" his words caught both their attention and they both straightened, trying to hold in the laughter. "Dude, this show! It's NUTS!" Marko exclaimed. "I can see that. Unfortunately, we want to get back before the others return from their meals, don't we?" he couldn't believe he was being the rational one! Apparently, Hell had decided to freeze over that night!

"Alright, I can't believe I'm going to say this, but he's right." he shot Aserah a playful glare at the little dig. "Into the witch mobile!" she announced and he got sight of make-up that he didn't think she needed earlier but what a bewitching profile she cut! The bold gold eye shadow made the green of her eyes pop, and the black liner that rimmed them in a fashion that the ancient Egyptians could only approve of gave her a mysterious look that held your attention. He deeply appreciated the blood red of her lips that gleamed in the light in a way that lipstick from his time could not. One of the many small discoveries awaiting him in this new, old world. Such as the fact that the Board Walk actually now contained a mall! As they drove, she introduced them to a band she called Korn, playing a song she said had special meaning for her. Falling Away From Me, the images the song induced in her had him maddened, he could barely control the rage and he wished that she hadn't already killed her parents, so he could make it, long, slow, and the sound of their screams could ring through the night like music in his ears! NO ONE TOUCHED WHAT WAS HIS AND LIVED!

Her cool hand reached for his and her fingers laced through his. She radiated calm to him, and he felt himself slowly surcoming to it. When they reached their destination and exited the car however both he and Marko flanked her and took her arms in theirs. "We will never allow anyone to EVER so much as look at you in the wrong way again!" he growled out, so low that had she not been who and what she was, she would have never heard. There was a brokeness to the gaze she gave him, so brief that others would have questioned whether or not it had actually been there. She led the way to the brightly lit building, gritting her teeth at the people. Even he was shocked at the audacity of them, as they had to muscle their way through! He had to remind himself that soon enough the people would be reminded to whom this city belonged! As a couple girls heckled her Aserah sent a death glare at a couple of blonde girls. "Fucking mall bitches!" she said under her breath causing him to smirk. Her eyes flashed red, showing him that she was half and they had been sucessful. "You so sure you want to save your first time for Star?" he had teased her.

"I wouldn't taint myself with the poison they call blood!" she remarked with a shudder, making both him and Marko laugh. Finally they reached a destination, a store called Gothic Delights. Band posters decorated a dark room lit with a black light, a symphonic like metal with the sound of an angelic voice blared through the speakers and made Paul think of that witch, the really cool one in Sleeping Beauty that could turn herself into a dragon. And that was just what he had! His girl was a dragon if he ever saw one! She went stright for the t-shirt rack and smiled, a look of triumph on her face when she pulled out a t-shirt. It had on it the picture of a man with long dark hair and beard to match, playing a flying V on stage and underneath it had a band logo. Just above had a name that had him nodding in approval. "Dimebag Darrel." he whispered. There was a sad look in his witch's eyes. "May he rest in peace, rocking out with Jimi, Janis, Morrison, Cobain, and the badass that was Cliff Burtin in the sky!" she said. "Who was he?" he asked. "Lead guitarist of the band you were digging on earlier. Band called Pantera. I knew I would make you a fan!" she said.

"I wouldn't say that yet but I was quite impressed! What happened to him?" he asked. "Crazed fan shot him on stage." she mouthed. "Man, that sucks!" Marko said behind them. In his hands was a black, fitted leather jacket. One without the bells and whistles the other one had, and in that moment he was kinda greatful for the updates! "That's a good start Marko but we got a ways to go. I'm sending you two to the fitting rooms, we'll be a while." both boys gave her a mock salute but listened to her words. It actually shocked him just how short of a time it was before clothes began to pour from just above the door of the stall! Multiple pairs of leather pants were being pushed on him, not that he was going to complain! He liked a woman who dug leather! Riding boots were also put in, and he had to admit, he did like the way they looked! It amused him to no end that she kept forcing them to come out and model the looks she was designing for them and those expressions! They couldn't help but play a little bit for her, making her groan and call "no fair!" At one point they managed to get her trapped in one of the stalls.

It wasn't long enough for what he wanted but all of them came out of that store dazed and happy! All three of them had to carry the bags, she had gotten so much! When they argued with her over price she reminded them just who she was and how much as a Mayfair she had at her disposal. She also reminded them that the well would dry up at the some point, so she was using what she could while she could, and setting things up to keep funds coming in so when she was cut off she will still be stable. As they filled the trunk the sound of his brothers voices alerted him to the fact that they would be back soon! So Aserah decided she was going to show them just how much like them she really was, driving like a mad woman at speeds that would make a mortal probably shit their pants! He and Marko however laughed like mad, rolling down the windows and sticking their bodies out the windows half way and howling! It had been so long, way to long! He was alive, truly alive again! And could there be a better way to come back than with her? He sure as hell didn't think so!

The house was empty when they reached it. Marko spun her around before she made a dash towards the kitchen, and if the smell was wonderful before, now it was mind boggling! He could smell the slow cooking sauce, made with Merlot and fresh herbs with zuchinni and squash that had been boiled in Merlot before hand added! She was flying around like mad while she fought to beat the clock. Only for Paul to be amused when one of them, Dwayne, had finaly managed to get the drop on her! The boys and Max had entered a few seconds before, and looked on amused as he caught her mid spin from behind. "Hello Princess, happy to see me?" and the witch, not caring she had an audience pulled him in and kissed him with a ferocity that had everyone else reeling and something in the back of Paul's mind lit up. His way with her was not like the others. Something about them was intense, maddening, and he didn't think he liked it, but he bit down on it. She was Dwayne's just as much as his, and he had to remind himself that she belonged to all of them equally. No one had a monoply on her. Dwayne, for his own sake, would do best to remember that!

They pulled back and the pure joy in her face dissolved the situation before there was one! "Very! Do you have any idea how long I have been waiting, for all of you?" she slipped out of his arms and they all had to fight the urge to have their turn with her. She had to finish what she was doing, after all! They all made spots at the table, and it was Max that took a spot next to her. He picked up a knife and began chopping some fresh garlic. "You cook, Ada?" she asked, her tone interested. "I rather enjoy cooking, Dove. Where do you think you get it from?" he asked. "Certainly not the Mayfair side! God forbid one of them actually know how to cook for themselves!" she responded sarcasticly making Max cackle. "You don't have to worry about them anymore. After all, how much have they interfered with your cousin?" he asked. Paul leaned in, interested. He had only got the slightest of peeks at Mona Mayfair, but he had to admit, from what he saw he would LOVE to be that girl's new bestfriend! The first Mayfair to be turned was powerful, volatile, and loyal. A sense of longing went through his Kitten at the mention of her. "Mona is going to feel the bond change, they all will. At some point, we are going to have to deal with them." she commented.

"Then we will deal with them. Do you really think we would allow them to take you from us, Little Bird?" David's voice spoke out for the first time that evening. She turned and caught his eye blue gaze. "That is not what I fear. I fear our secrets threatening everything I just gained! You don't understand what we face, yet. The Frogs are little boys wearing pants three sizes to big for them. The darkness that haunts the Mayfair line is far different!" and her fear was read loud and clear! She had no fear for herself, of death. The only fear she had was loosing them! He rose from his seat and took her back in his arms. "Nothing is going to take me away from you, Kitten! I am stronger than you know, we all are, and you are more powerful than you give yourself credit for!" he whispered. He felt her melt into him and he never in all his life felt anything more right! He raised her eyes back to his and ran his fingers through her hair. "You are not quite as impulsive as you were, once, and you are a little wiser." she made the observation. He cracked a small smile. "Not quite. Death will do that for a person." his comment made them all laugh. He let go of her when she finally had the food ready and was getting out the utensils.


	7. Blood that Binds

**Chapter 7: **Blood that Binds

Even in their moment of happiness, a shadow falls upon the hearts of the two most sensitive to the pshyic planes of existance. The threat of Lasher looms over Dwayne and Aserah, and try as she might, she can not outrun being a Mayfair now anymore than she could outrun being a Dellenoix before. Engaging Paul, Marko, and Max in one of the great movies they had missed, and David's personal favorite of the last decade, The Dark Knight, she disspears outside when a call from Mona comes in and her past comes to torment her soul. Dwayne follows her and she and her Archangel consumate a bond that is different than that with the other boys. Something old, ancient, and stronger than anything either have ever known.

Dwayne's POV

He felt it the minute it had happened. That electric change in the air that surrounded her, when her signature faded, the light went dark in her emerald eyes. When that unexplainable joy had been snuffed out and she replaced it with reassuring smiles. And what an actress she was, fooling even David into believing everything was more than wonderful! But he, and Max, they both knew better. Through bond of blood and birth Max felt what she felt, knew what she knew, and there was a look in the eyes of his Maker that chilled Dwayne's very soul! He did nothing more than nod at him slightly, an action none of the others even caught when his Princess made her silent exit. A phone call, a bell that sounded the escape she needed to bare her suffering alone. He sighed as he followed her out into the night. When was she going to learn that she no longer had to bare these terrible things alone? They were not Rowan Mayfair! They did not need her to protect them! And he would NOT ALLOW her to sacrafice herself for them, not going to happen!

It had started a joyous evening. He could never put into words what it felt like, to pull her into his arms, to fill her body mold into his, to taste those lips that spoke of a thousand emotions all at once. To be holding in his arms one of the most powerful living humans to have ever walked! The soul that called out to his before it reached out for his brothers. It was a secret he had kept from all of them. Something between he and Max that they did not need to know. Like his Maker he had been connected as soon as that soul entered the world. And overwhelming feeling that this was not the first time he had felt this, know this, known her. Souls bound with time having no meaning. The since that she was his, had always been his, in every life, in every form. She was his again, his Princess, his Priestess! The powerful one, the strong one. And nothing else mattered. Nothing at all. As mezmorizing as the world he woke to was, as many wonders had led him baffled and amazed, how technology went beyond even his wildest dreams when he walked the streets of Santa Carlo with the Boys back in the good ol' days and he mused in silence at what would become of that bright world, SHE was what mattered!

And to think of how strong she was! She had no fear of them, of what she had become, and would turn into still! They were not her first encounter with the Undead by a long shot! And you would have to forgive him but he didn't really like the fondness she held for a certain auburn vampire with the face of a Carravagio god, even if he was grateful for what he had done for her in New Orleans. She had powerful ties, and had faced things more terrible that he and David and any of the boys ever thought of being at a very young and vulnerable age. And she had been forced to kill not long after she had Awakened, not an experience many children had. This night she had waited for her whole life! It was the first time she had ever been happy, felt peace, felt free! He would not allow David to put chains on her to bind him to the old rules. She was beyond them, and she would never allowed herself to be ruled anyway. Even as she served the plates of an incredible style of spagetti there was a spin in her step and a light in her face that enchanted all of them!

He had never seen Paul look on another woman like he gazed at her. The lust was obvious and the hunger was blantant, but it was not the hunger for her sex and her death. He wanted to take her, claim her, make her his and keep her, something his brother had never desired before with anyone! And it was serious, it was no joke, no passing fancy. He watched Marko as well, who was completely spellbound. It reminded him of the images he had seen of what had taken place at Fatima. The innocence of the children, wide eyed as the beautiful Madonna crowned in living light gave to them what was to come in the future. To him, she was a Goddess. His Dark Aphrodite of whom he could never get enough! She sat between him and David, and Marko couldn't stop himself from touching her, a caress here, a slight touch there, all the while even when he looked away her image was in the corner of his eye, like he was afraid that THing would come to take her away from them if he turned his back for one second!

And speaking of the volumes of protection around her, David sat at her right like a vampiric dark knight. He was more skilled now in the craft than he had in the past, but it was like that of a scientist. He had a detached knowledge but he couldn't touch it, feel it, magick was a very part of him, weaved into the very fabric of his being like it was with Dwayne and Aserah. But it was enough to know that something was off. He kept his hand on the small of her back while they joked and ragged on one another through out the meal. Afterwards, their girl had on a sadistic smile, one that made Paul and Marko look terrified, Max look concerned, David look amused and he himself? He couldn't help but share it! He rather loved the darker part of her soul, for it matched his own. She put everything away and then pulled out six great glass mugs and then proceeded to pull out what looked to be half of David's liquer. He laughed outloud at the sight of David's jaw dropping to the floor! "Dear God Little Bird, how much is in there, and why wasn't I made aware so I could share the wealth!" he exclaimed making them all laugh.

"You wouldn't do it right. You see, tonight David I am going to introduce you to my favorite drink. One that I get to laugh hysterically while enjoying as when you take the third one, you will hit the floor. I am going to test your stamina boys, you up for it?" she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and Paul's eyes turned black in lust. "What did I tell you about that, Kitten?" his voice dropped several octives and Dwayne knew his control held on by a single fraying thread. "And I told you to not make promises you can't keep." she countered with a teasing smile and a wink and Max pulled Paul back. "I may be an old man, and I am no virgin, but I really don't want to see my son screwing my descendant's brains out, especially after I just ate so save it for later, will you?" and jsut the image of Max having any thoughts like that pulled them all out of the gutter and had them shuddering in horror making Aserah laugh. She turned to him, black eyes locked onto green, that powerful spark filling every part of him and the blush built at his gaze but his hungry gaze was returned in kind and in like intensity!

"How about a game, Archangel?" she asked, moving foward with the bottles and a measuring glass. She took a seat right on top of the table, right in front of him, setting the supplies right in front of him. He took advantage and wrapped his arms around her lightly from behind. "Would it involve the last one standing wins?" he asked, trying to control his own desire, a task becoming more and more difficult as the moments passed. "No, something different. You have all missed so much! I have something to introduce to you. A movie, something that is a favorite of mine and David's. And it is a favorite because of how the villain is. He is not selfish, it is not about greed, or self interest, not lust, gluttony, all the selfish desires of the human heart. It is evil in it's purist form, and in that form, it casts a very ineresting view upon things. Even as another Batman film, the things it has to say is only rivaled by another film we will watch another night. The game is this. Everytime the Joker is on the screen and he gives a sick interpretation of the world that is yet true and you find yourself rooting for him, you take as long as a swig of that Long Island as you can stand. A swig, it can't be a shug. Once you swallow you have to put the drink down.

The first man to fall will be my victim tomorrow night. That means being dragged around Barnes and Noble, being injected with Starbucks, having to listen to me rant about Twilight and I might even make you watch it just to understand the utter horror..." the look of absolute digust that marked her face and the shudder in her spine made him wonder what on Earth she was talking about. He was more shocked by the utter look of aboslute horror on David's face. "OH GOD! NOT THAT! That's cruel and unusual torture, Little Bird!" he whined. "Then maybe you shouldn't drink like a lightweight tonight, David." she said, leaning back just a little into Dwayne's waiting arms who smirked at him around her shoulder. He leaned in and whispered in her ear in that way that made her shiver beautifully but was loud enough for them to hear "and the last man that stands?" the blush that went all the way down to her bare toes told him this was going to be good! "The last man standing is the man with whom I consumate the bond first." and her answer made every single male's eyes turn solid black!

Paul licked his lips with absolute desire. Marko eyed her slowly up and down and hid his lower area from view with anything near him he could find. David's look was absolutely feral and if Max had not been there he would have jumped her then and there and to the hell with the rest of them! He however did not manifest the effect those words had on him outwardly. He instead reached for that silent bond. "So cruel, Princess! Not fair to taunt them so. You know good and well we will stand last." he purred in her mind and reinforced the suttle seduction by running a hand up and down her arm. Her breath hitched, just a little, just a brief moment. A master over her reactions it was gone faster than any other would note it but he knew her like he knew himself! He knew what he was doing to her! "And if I do? I am not a fool, younger though I may be than you. I know what we have is different. Deeper, older. stronger, though I am bound to you all. What if I want to create a way to have that with you, with others bound to keep their distance?" he smiled at her answer, content, filled with emotions he used to believe were dead. He wanted it to, he wanted her alone, just him, just her, where they were the only thing that existed and the only thing that mattered was the touch of her skin, the feel of her breath on his neck, taking her, claiming her fully in mind, body, soul, claiming every part of her, parts that the others would never understand. How could they? They were her mates and they would adore her and she would love them, but she and he, they were more than mates! He was in love with her as a breathing, ancient, incomprehensible soul seperate and whole, he was in love with Aserah Daniella Dellenoix Mayfair the woman of his own free will as well as the unbeatable pull of the matehood of his kind.

"THen I admire that devious mind of yours that finds that way without alienating the others and allowing them all to still have a good time." he answered. She looked to the other boys, giving the David the eye. "What say you, our noble leader? Shall we play?" the playful look in her eyes sparked the playful side of his brother who vamped out and smiled wide, every sharp tooth showing. It was a sight that should be horrifying to any mortal but she meerly laughed at the sight! "That's just my kind of game, witch! What do you say boys, think you can take me on?" the smirk on his face mde it that much more enjoyable to Dwayne knowing it would soon be wiped off his face. He had never beat Dwayne the few times he managed to get in a drinking game against him and really, after all these years the blonde vamp should know better! Paul got a crazed look in his eyes. He stood up and whooped, pulling the witch out of Dwayne's arms, into his, and spinning her around before dunking her and planting a hard one before letting her back up. "Bring it on baby, let's see what mama's got!" he said with a wink. Dwayne laughed at his brother's antics. Aserah ran a hand down Paul's back and pulled him so close he knew his brother felt every delightful curve. "You have no idea what this girl's got, Playboy. I'll make a proper Provert out of you before you know it!" the seductive purr made them all swoon!

"Now that is something I will enjoy every second of, Kitten! I'm ready to play any time, any place, just say the word go!" he was right next to her ear and he felt the energy between the two. Strangely he felt no jealously. Paul's feelings were not like his. He loved her, and she made him more horny then any other female he had in his long life, but it would never be like what Dwayne had with her. In fact their banter rather amused him and he gave his brother an encouraging wink, something that took back that uneasy feeling he knew his brother felt when he saw him with their witch. "Alright Playboy, go in the livingroom with David and the boys and get the ready movie, I will stay in here and make the drinks. Max here will supervise, lest I decide to have to much fun using you all as my vampiric guienu pigs." she let out her best mad scientist laugh while Max simply shook his head though there was a twinkle to his eyes. Their maker looked at them, especially Paul. "Alright, you heard the woman, let her go and get in that room!" he said. David, excited about the chance to win his Little Bird ushered the rest of the Boys in to the room where he introduced him to the upgraded entertainment center he had bought not long after he had came back to Santa Carlo.

He had came up with his own funds, bank accounts in many names from the accumulated wealth of stray bills in wallets of his victims. He did not hold the wealth that she controled, at least for now as they had not withdrawn from her the Legacy yet like they had when Mona had turned, but it was no modest amount by any strech and he wondered why they had never thought about doing that before. It was made out of solid oak, and the flat screen tv, a marvel that had them all gushing for five minutes alone, and the unbelievable clearness of the screen amazed them. "If you think that is something, wait till she comes in with the drinks and I can get the entertainment center going!" he remarked in a proud voice. Dwayne looked at his brother filled with pride. "You have done very well for yourself David. I always knew you had it in you." he said and a true smile was shot in his direction. Each took a spot on a rap around sofa with material so soft he felt like he was floating, and the sinking feeling was divine! Each seat on the wrap around pulled out like a recliner and leaned back, each had an arm rest with a spot for a drink.

After a little searching David found a small box and in a exaggerated manner opened the box to show them the disk. "David, we were in Limbo, not blind! We were sheltered from much but we know what a DVD is dude!" Marko's remark just made something snap in him and he couldnt' control the laughter! Marko was becoming stronger and more outspoken being around the witch, that had been true even in Limbo. He was no longer the second quiet one and he liked him feeling comfortable enough to snark with David like he had with Paul! David scowled. "Nobody likes a smartass!" he said sarcasticly but there was a grin on his face that took the sting of the comment away. By the time Max and Aserah came in the lights were down and the previews played and it was like being inside a theatre! The surround system connected to the DVD player made you litterally feel the sounds! He didn't know it till he felt her, as good as his senses were, when she took a seat in a spot that made him fill both with lust and contentment, his lap! She held on to her own drink, her cell in her pocket. He pulled her back against him and pushed her hair back from her neck, leaving it bare where he didn't resist the pull to nuzzle her. Nuzzled, pecked, gently and briefly sucked in various places with her most quiet of moans filled him with happiness and need.

His arms around her waist held her body against him posesively, his fingers drawing circles on the arms that reached up to wrap around his. "My Princess! My beautiful, maddening, insane, Princess, do you know what you have done? You are mine now, you can't get away from me!" he whispered in her ear, meaning every word. Somehow they were able to keep up with the rest of the Boys inspite of being so wrapped in one another. How Dwayne blessed the dark! "Do you know what you have done, what you have chosen?" it was a reply filled with desire and with fear. And he knew that he was not the source of that fear. He gripped her tighter, that rage still boiling. "He can't have you, do you hear me? I won't allow it! You belong to me now! You belong to all of Us, but more you are mine! He WILL NOT take you from me! If I have to dive to the ninth circle of hell to get you I will!" something about his anger, the depth of those feelings that bubbled in waht others would see as a short time but what they both knew was a love that had been born in lifetimes and ages before this one comforted her. She reached out for them, and Marko, being the most emotionally sensitive picked up on it and in the dark pulled in front of them. He touched her face, put his forehead to hers. "We'll beat it, we'll beat Lasher, you have to believe that!

But right now be with us! Forget you are a Mayfair and remember you are a Lost Girl, our sadistic, fantastic, with wonderous achohol tollerance Lost Girl tonight." she smiled, and the tears fell she didn't bother to wipe away. She picked up her mug just as a scene that had all the Boys hooting in approval and reaching for their drinks came on. The Joker busted into a room full of the mafia. He had demanded half for the Blood of the Bat and got away with robbing them because he was crazy enough to strap live dynamite to himself! When one finally tried to attack he decided to do a "magic" trick. He made a pencil dissapear. By slamming the goons head into the standing pencil that balanced straight up so hard that the whole thing embedded into his brain and killed him. Aserah howled with mad delight and made a comment about "David, that's Micheal. Come on, it would be perfect!" and his brother's voice wafted from the other side of the room. "Not quite, but it does give ideas..." causing her to squeel girlishly.

To everyone's surprise the long swig, without swallowing she took of her Long Island Ice Tea, which contained within it 1 shot of Tequila, 1 shot of Vodka, 1 shot of Rum, 1 shot of Jin, 1 shot of Butterscoth liquor and 1 shot of sweet and sour and was completed with filling the rest of the glass with Coke, she took down half the contents in the glass! Dwayne was rather impressed and all of them whooped and hollered! Max rolled his eyes and mentioned something about immortal teenagers. She leaned back into him with a satisfied smile while Marko took a spot at her feet, running a hand up and down a bare leg underneath that lovely red skirt. "You sure as hell are no light weight, are you Sweet Thing? Are you sure there is no Irish in your blood?" he teased. She giggled softly, reaching down for his hand for a moment. "Mayfair blood is Scottish blood, my lovely blonde!" "Explains alot!" he said, poking her teasingly while she put a hand to her heart in mock hurt. The movie went on and Dwayne had to admit, it was brilliant! THe Joker stole the movie! Eveything he said was true! He was honest, he had no motives, no self seeking reasons to act as he did. It truly was evil for evil's sake, and there was something to that.

There was a honour to it, a dark nobility in what his character did, and that was the brilliance of the villian they turned the Joker into being. You found yourself agreeing to his words, seeing how he saw things, knowing he did not speak lies and you feel a horror in yourself a sort of disgust that the villain in the end turns out to be the most noble of them all. When Joker left Harvey Dent was when the air changed. Aserah's cell phone buzzed and the look on her face when she picked it up and saw the name made him fill an unquiet. It was a look of longing of happy sadness, and then a shadow, overwhelming darkness, a dispair that only one thing could bring. The Mayfair monsters were reaching out and ruining the only happiness she had ever known. And inspite of knowing about everything Mona was to her, he couldn't help but feel rage! He knew this was their burden but after all this time they deserved their one night to be with one another, to celebrate being one! It was proabably a good thing he didn't reach the phone before she did! She took down half the glass of a freshly poured drink, her third for the night.

"Guys?" it was a plee, a desperate plee that this was something she needed to do, had to do alone. They all nodded. However David paused the film. "You need us you come back in. You are not a part of them anymore and their drama is not yours! You don't have to put up with that hyprocritcal bitch for one second, I don't care if it IS life or death, ok?" the anger rolled off his brother in waves and he couldn't blame him. Rowan Mayfair was a real piece of work, especially after what she did with Lestat de Lioncourt and then turned to judge his Princess! "I will, but this is Mona, David. Mona!" and that one name held so much in it. That bond that was so strong, in it's platonic purity in it's own way, it was as strong as his with her. A link that knew lifetimes. But that look, she felt something, he knew that she did and he felt it because she did. "Let her go David, boys. This is not about us." Dwayne fixed Max with a glare. Of course it was! She was their's! But he said nothing. Paul being a saint in his and her eyes filled her drink back up to the brim and handed it to her. "Go out with this." he said with an understanding look in his eyes, wisdom there he didn't know his brother had.

Apparently he was not the only one who hid some things! She gave him a smile and slipped out and David started the movie back up. But Dwayne felt her call! She needed him there no matter what she said and it was making him insane to sit there when he knew she was not ok! After things had setteled back into the movie and his other brothers had been distracted back into the drinking game one silent word came from Max. "Go!" and without any further encouragment he raced out at the speed of light, panicking when he didn't see her till he caught the image of red twirling off a swing in a playground across the street. He didn't say a word, no alert or warning. He simply made his way to her as she swung, one hand on the phone, the other holding on to the swing, shaking so hard it was amazing she hadn't fallen! He took the swing next to her as she spoke. "So I'm abandoned, all over again! After everything she has done! I didn't kill her children Mona! She did that! She was the one who slept around on Uncle Mike! She's the one that gave Lasher power! And I am thrust out?!" hatred rolled off of her, eyes now solid red, and tears rolled without stop. The pain and anger as like a double edged sword, moving back and forth in the space his heart should be.

And he was PISSED! He knew Rowan's story through his Princess! He knew what she had done to Mona in the hospital, what she had done to her own children though the images he didn't understand and didn't want to! She used that hospital as her sanctuary while Mona waisted away before Aserah's eyes and only Quinn and her kept her going! Fighting a decomposing form that still clung desperately, sheer supernatural will keeping it together till she could die in her love's arms! When they chased after Mona's daugher, after the girl had turned and her love affair with the vampire Lestat right in front of her husband! And then the fights, the arguments, the mistrust and downright unfairness Aserah was treated with because she listened to, trusted, and acted on Max's words! "I KNOW the bond changed! But I am not and have never been her underling! She is not fucking God Mona! How is she any better than my parents? Now she is going to leave me to fight that thing alone?!" and that did it! He and David were going to have a talk about Rowan. They were going to make sure she would never be a problem for their witch ever again!

But just as the anger came, it stopped. A blinding, numbing shock coursed through her body and half vamp that she was, she nearly fell down because of it before he caught her. "I've got you Princess." he whispered only to hear a lovely voice come from the speaker. "Is he him? Is that the Archangel? You have to let me talk to him Baby Girl! He needs to know!" at this point she looked so defeated she just fell into him, pulling him in as close as she could, her frame shaking as she reached up and handed him the phone. "Any reason you are ruining the only moment of happiness she ever had, Mona Mayfair? he growled into it. "Not by any choice of mine. I had to tell her, Dwayne. She is being dropped. Even the Talamasca is turning it's back on her because of the choice she made. The vamps here are not pleased but they hold no power over this. She is alone against Lasher. We can't allow that to happen! She is not fully turned, right?" her matter of fact tone pulled him out of his own emotions to act for what was best for his soul mate.

"She is. What's going on?" he asked. "My blood drinking brother, Aserah Mayfair is the last eligble female Mayfair of a family who descends and power is held by the female line. That line has a terrible secret, a secret that cost me my mortal life but we won't go into that. As long as she is half, she is still capeable of baring a child. And that puts her life in more danger than you could ever know!" if the phone wasn't as sturdy as it was he was pretty sure it would break. "And what you are saying is that the other Mayfairs will not help her fight this thing?! THey'll cast her out, leave her to be raped by this thing, and leave her to die alone with no one to help her?!" His beast answered him and the air cracked with it, the rage penetrated the playground, everything around them. How could they just leave her to die? Especially when the only thing that could fight against Lasher was other Mayfairs! "That's why I'm coming, Quinn and I. There is no other choice." small relief filled him. "You are turned fully, can you still..." his voice went silent, burdened by the monster that hunted the only woman he would ever love.

"I can, and so can Quinn. He too carries Mayfair blood. We will come to you and we will her fight this thing. This is urgent because as long as she remains half, Lasher has an opening. He is maddened by his last change and he will stop at nothing to stop the transformation. The first has to be Star, not by preforance but she needs that blood in particular, the blood of a creature of magic to complete the transition. You have to move quickly! And you have to be with her! I know of the others but you..." "I know, Red, I know. I'm not going anywhere! Not one of us will allow her to be alone, if we have to make her keep our hours till it's time! I'll talk to David. Where are you?" he asked. "With the Ancient One. The time will come when you will all know her, soon enough. Give her the phone back Archangel, but first I have something to tell you. If you hurt her, if you break her in anyway, I will find you! There will be no place in the world you can hide. And when I find you it won't be just me to come for you! You see she has a fan in some very powerful Undead that make David look like an angel and turned torture into an artform! They will take TURNS with you for who knows how long? Am I clear?" there was power behind the older Mayfair's words, Power not to be ignored! "Crystal" he smiled.

He knew the love held between Aserah and Mona and the fact that Mona was coming for her, would fight for her, would be everything! He handed the phone back before the cousins professed their love and hung up. She turned to face him before she burried herself into his chest while he rocked her. He made her look at him. "You have a new family now, my beautiful witch! We adore the ground you walk on! We will not allow that thing to do so much as tap your shoulder, you know that! Forget Rowan Mayfair, she will nolonger be your problem. Mona is coming and we will fight this thing! And you are strong, so strong, you don't realize your own power yet!" He fought to make her see what he felt, what he knew. And she got caught, her gaze locked into his and his into hers. "that's right Princess, that's right look at me. See me! I won't let you fall! Do you trust that?" he was drowinng in those emerald eyes, drowning with no need to be saved! "Yes, I trust that. I trust in you." and there was adoration in her gaze absolute. And it was not fake, not built on illusions on what she thought he was. Her look saw right through him and loved every part of him. Monster and man. Mate and lover.

They picked one another up as they dusted themselves off but she was back in his arms as soon as he could manage it and he was not going to let her leave them, not tonight! After that she was his, the others had to wait! They walked back, Aserah draining in one gulp that made Paul proud as she entered the door step the entirety of the third Long Island and she did not wobble or stutter. The Boys were amazed! Even David was shaky on his feet and all his words bled into one another. She put on a smile, her strength coming back, her resolve to fight as she called out for Max on the way back to their seat. "Another one Dove?" he asked. She nodded, and silently Dwayne had his filled as well and he silently blessed his own tolerance! The movie was towards it's end and he was starting to get nervous. Batman had Joker dangling over the roof and he spoke about what happens when an unmovable force meets an unstoppable object when in unison, much to his amusement, David and Marko hit the floor! "Un...able...to...move...damnit!" Everyone, even the victims on the floor laughed.

They both took down their drinks at the last scene, Paul biting it after struggling to get David and Marko into their new, sun proof rooms. Max turned to them with a knowing glance. "I'll get him. A good day to you both, I'll see you soon." and that knowing wink made them both bust up laughing. "I'm getting him laid, my dear! Someone who deserves him, man needs it, badly!" she exclaimed and he nodded in amused agreement. "Yes, but as the winner..." and with no warning he swept her off her feet bridal style and gazed down into her face again with a delighted, feral, lustful, and yet loving look on his face. "Time to claim your prize." she whispered and her own need about made him buckle, having nothing to do with the last drink. Their room was on the other end of the house, something at the moment he was rather grateful for. It was were she had been sleeping, and opening the door he enhailed the room permeated in her smell, in the bed, the walls! He put her down gently. He was not just going to take her like an animal. She deserved to know just how deeply he was hers! How much he longed for her, waited to touch her, dreamed about it!

She closed the door with her foot and he pulled her into him. She never looked away from his eyes as he felt the buttons come undone from his shirt, the same he had found in the basement waiting for him that evening. He slowly untied that gorgeous corset, the sight of her slowly revealed driving him mad! The red ribbons dropped to her feet, every new piece of skin he slid his fingers across. She was pure silk, so soft, so warm, and she was his, just his! She pulled off the shirt off his shoulders as be undid the clasps in the back, both stripped to the waist in no time. At first a shy side he had yet to see of her came foward and she tried to hid her breasts from him. He gave her a soft smile and grabbed her hands. "Oh no you don't, my beauty! You don't hide, not from me!" and the sight of those well formed breasts about made him praise every god he could think of! Soft, round, generous and the pink nipples already hardened, jsut by his gaze! Finding her boldness again she pulled him in by his belt loops and she kissed him softly but he immediatly deepined it, her lips far more intoxicating than the drinks before hand!

He ran his tounge across her lips and she didn't even hesitate for one second, beginning a battle for dominance as they tasted every part one another, like drinking one another's souls, and just as he imagined, neither one the battle for mastery, They were two equals, and he loved it, he loved her, it was the one thoght that kept repeating in his mind. He could feel the crush of her naked breasts against his chest, her nails running gently up and down his bare back, his body shuddering with every move she made, every time she pulled him closer and closer. When she pulled her head back for air she was flushed, eyes alight, darkened, need, real need like he had not see in his life mirriored in her green orbes. She reached her hand up into his long hair and pulled his head down close. "I'm not falling in love with you. I am already, deeply, insanely, painfully in love with you my Dwayne, my Archangel!" and the feelings she ignited with those words, the fire that blazed in his heart would never wan, never fade.

He crashed himself into her, his hands ghosting down her long legs, pulling gently at her red skirt that pulled around her feet that she kicked bare. She reached for him and their kissed was heated, mind blowingly. Thinking straight wasn't going to happen for the next few hours, that was for damn sure! He almost stopped breathing when she knelt down infront of him like that, opening the button on his jeans, pulling them down and off him, and then did acts he never imagined happening without a whole lot of begging involved! But she wanted to! She wanted to taste him and the way she nipped, and licked and sucked and took him it was apparent she was hungry for it, for him and it made him crazy! When he couldn't take any more he pulled her up and picked her back up with a speed she couldn't follow, half now though she was! He pended her arms above her and took her mouth in his, only stopped by a look in her eyes. He made himself stop. "Princess, if this..." he started, heart breaking at the thought she might not be ready but willing to wait...

"Shh...it's not that Dwayne. It's that, well I am who I am. And people think I have done things I haven't." and her meaning dawned on him and he caught that fear in her eyes. Not of what was to happen, but that he would walk away because she was a virgin... The opposite was true! It would be another secret of theirs, but it would be something she had given him that they would never have! Something she planned on. To take her as a half, as a virgin, it would mean that he had completely claimed her! To be the only male to have touched her... He growled at the very idea and kissed her again and nuzzled that lovely neck. "Making me the luckiest monster to ever walk, are you?" he said in her ear, smirking at the pleasurable shudder that went down her spine. He looked into her eyes, he allowed his beast to speak. "Mine now, witch! Mine! Anyone not pack who touches you forfiets their life!" there was a thrill that went through her and she couldn't be more perfect! More right! A devilish smirk was on his face as he pulled back, and he began his own pleasurable torture to her beautiful form. he cupped her breasts as he nipped at her, suckled her neck, loving the marks he made that showed the world that she belonged to him.

He caressed her pink nipples before taking the right one in his mouth, gentle at first, teasing her, making her call out his name over and over, like an angel that voice! He nipped just beneath and bit soft as he could, but pleasure and pain driving them both mad! He could smell her arousal as she became wetter and wetter for him. He moved to the other breast and as he did he reached his hand down her flat belly with the smallest of cute pooches and began to stroke her just where her sensitive nerves were, slow, painstaking movements. The two sensations became to much at once, so though he didn't want to he released the breast and lowered himself down, returning his earlier favor. And to taste her, nectar of the gods! How to describe it, how to describe what she made him feel, knowing he was the only one who did this to her, the one whom featured in those dreams the most! He licked and suckled and strummed her nerves with a thumb and when she came and he took all of it he knew neither one could hold anymore!

He reached out for her and she helped him come back up and crashed her lips hungrily into his, the duel beginning again as he gently spread her legs apart. He pulled back, holding her eyes with his own gaze. "I love you Aserah, with every part of me I do, I always have, in this and in every life and any that may come, you are MINE! I need you to trust me. Trust me! It won't hurt for long, and when it's gone, nothing will seperate us!" a lone tear, one not of sadness but of need,need for him, need that went well beyond physcial struck his very soul! "Yes, yes Princess, let's be one, as we always should have been." he coached and he entered, slowly. To her credit she showed her strength, the only sign of pain shown at all was in her eyes. And he stroked her, told her how deeply he adored her, that he worshipped her. And every word was not just words! He meant every single word! he would destroy anyone that looked at her wrong! As she adjusted, as she began to move against him something happened.

Her magick, it reached around them, through them, in them! It lit the room as though the moment were blessed! Every breath was divine, physcial and emotional. And they moved in unity, as though they were one being, and that part that belonged to this soul, this one being for whom he searched for so long in this life was Awakened! They moved slow but she pulled him in deep, she wanted all of him and he wanted all of her, needed all of her and he never stopped telling her how beautiful she looked, how she felt, what she meant to him. He had never been this way with another and never would! THey called for one another and he answered, increasing as the sound of her moans, music to his ears grew more and more intense. "Look at me Aserah, look at me." she opened her eyes and those emeralds were darkened and shinning with unshed tears of happiness. "That's it! Cum with me, yes!" and they moved faster, he pulled her up to where she was in his lap, both controlling the speed, driving him further in. He couldn't tear himself away from that gaze! Those moans, there was no way he can ever get enough! And then they went together!

They collaspsed together, both with grins they couldn't wipe from their faces. His hand laced around hers. When he could breathe again he spoke. "They were not just words, my Princess. I love you, I do..." a finger rose up and touched his lips. "Shhh, Archangel, I know, I know. I love you too. Now as soon as we can move..." in which they both laughed "we need a shower, it's been 2 hours!" he looked over at the clock and was shocked at how close to sunup they were. "Damn!" he said playfully though he meant every word. He would love nothing more than round 2!

**And there you are my friends, a little Aserah/Dwayne smut! This is my first attempt at smut so be gentle on me but do tell me what you think! Aserah loves them all but I want Dwayne and her linked. It will make more sense as Lasher comes more and more into play later. And no worries, smut for the other mates is coming! REVIEW! **

We begs precious!

-alright who the hell let Gollum out of his cage?!-

-Lestat whistles in the corner-

-Don't make me bust out the lighter and aersal can Blondie!-

:P


	8. And You Survive

**Chapter 8: **...And you Survive

In this chapter is the 13th Anniversary of the tragic shootings that took the lives of 13 people on 4/20/1999 in a once little known town called Littleton, Colorado in a place of learning known as Columbine, Highschool. It's Marko's turn to find Aserah alone, as the rest have gone hunting after having to fight with the magick fighting with her half status causing her horrific troubles, were Dwayne, David, and Max have to give her great quanities of blood and afterwards must go hunt and replenish while she has to wait for her first, for Star. With the constant threat of Lasher on her mind an aniversary of death weighs on her soul. Proving to be a far wiser soul than one would think, Marko gives her wisdom on what he feels his the true nature of evil. That there was no such thing as a Joker, something of PURE evil. Everything has a root and the key to defeating evil was finding it. He also helps her understand what they are, vampires and witches and supernaturals. Keepers of the Balance between Good and Evil and in and of themselves are neither. For without Balance the world would rip itself apart. Comforting her and then playing around later, Marko and Aserah consumate their bond only for the witch to later reveal that her dear cousin and her mate Mona Mayfair and Quin Blackwood are on the way!

Two months is too little

They let him go

There was no sudden healing

To think that providence would

Take a child from a mother as she prays

Is appaling

Who told us we'd be rescued

What has changed and why should we be saved from nightmares?

We're asking why this happens

To us who have died to live

It's unfair

-excerpt from Held by Natalie Grant

Aserah's POV

It had bee Dwayne who held her when she cried, when they first woke. Unlike the others they had no need for any words between them. He could see everything, feel everything. When she looked up at his face she saw his own tears. "So this is what you meant, what you tried to tell me. Babies killing babies. Jesus! And for what!" she only nodded, having no answers for him, for herself. He ran his fingers through her hair. "Look at me Princess." she only began to go harder, till his tone went down an octive and she looked up. "There are alot of things I don't know about this world. But you are not them, never was, never will be. I know in the beginning, with all this new power, this invulnerability there is this temptation. This unbearable urge to stop it! To intervene. TO stop these things from happening. And I know you know this speech better than I do. But it is more true now than even it was before!

As much as it hurts...Oh dear Gods, my Aserah how it hurts..." she looked up, caught in those dark eyes that mirriored her pain and she knew that every time she gazed into them she would in that moment never love him more. His left hand was clutches so hard it began to bleed as the screams she heard in her own mind of the kids, she knew to them it didn't mean nothing. Not like the Froggs tried to poison the mind of the Emersons with. He pulled her into him. "I can't loose you! Not when I found you! Promise me you woun't give in to that temptation!" his eyes searched hers, begging, pleading. She reached up and rand her own hand through his hair. "The pain is great, but no. Somethings, horrific as they are, can not be stopped. Not even by people like us." and unbidden the blazing images of September 11th came forth. "Holy wars!" he whispered. She nodded. "I swear to you I will not use what you have given me to try and interfere with human destiny."

A wisdom flashed in her eyes, a knowledge that could only be found in the pain that had been her own life for so long. She felt a pain, strong in the pit of her stomach. Without preamble she heard Dwayne scream for David. Her favorite blue eyed fiend knelt down. "You need blood Little Bird." his brother interupted. "I spoke to the other turned Mayfair. Because of what she fights, it has to be Star. Her blood is tied to a magick bloodline, her first must be the same. We can only hold it off now by our blood, the strongest of us. Yours, mine, Max's" and she heard her Ada's voice even as her Archangel stopped speaking. "Give her to me boys. I am well aware you don't want to but just do it." and so slowly she was put in his eyes. She stared back into identical emeralds and gave him a weak smile. "You finally got rid of those bottle caps! Looks good on..." and she choked on blood coming out and only the silent voice of his soul, Dwayne's got through.

"Drink baby, please! I can't loose you! I'll walk into the sun, I swear it!" just the image was enough to bring her fighting back, enough to swallow as she felt Max's hand rub small circles on the back of her head. "That's it little Dove, swallow, yes, well done!" she could hear the tears in his voice and to think that the Emersons thought him a monster worthy of the death they executed filled her with the same rage that the sinceless death of those children did before! She felt her limbs begin to move again, she could feel them all around. David's piercing blues caught her own eyes. "Fight for me Little Bird! Take what you need! I don't care if you take it all!" and she could tell he meant it and when David spoke, one should know better to contradict him, even one of her ability. She gave him a mockng smile and called out for him, and he went right into his arms, whispering "As my liege commands" in his ears and she heard a soft laugh. "That's my girl! My unstoppable Little Bird."

He gave her to much, she knew it, felt it, but knew she could not argue. She even fought him to get him to stop but the others held him there. "FANGS!" she screamed. "Now, that's enough! The night is young for us, it is past time this town remembers to whom it belongs, proper incentitive never hurt anyone." the tone was mocking but the feelings she got knew he was trying to put her at ease. "And their blood, they'll replenish you? Do you swear?" things were breaking all around the room, a common occurence when her emotions raged. Dwayne and Max both shielded her from her own wrath till David forced them aside. "My witch, I won't do anything that will take me from you, now stop this!" something she couldn't put her finger on, something about his authority stopped what had began. Like subconciously her power bound under his authority even as she freely bowed to it as a young halfie.

"Dwayne, Max and I will be waiting with Paul to go hunting. This needs to be her and Marko tonight." Both nodded thought she felt her Archangel's anger. She felt it too. She loved all of them, but not like him. THey were her mates. But he was someting else. He was a part of her own soul, a piece of her that was immortal as was the spirit. But she couldn't fight the love for the others. That overwhelming attraction she had for them, that... "I know where you reside, my Priestess. I can't hide I don't like it but it doen't matter. Last night matters. As you and I both know. You gave yourself to me, and to me alone. After that, mate as you are to all of us, I know to whom you belong. Do not fear for me my love. I'll never leave, never turn away. I love you far to much for that, my Aserah!" that possesive tone, and it was true. She did belong to him in a way that the others could not share. And she swooned to hear that silent voice, the declaration.

Back in his arms, she felt him weaken, even as he told her over and over and over again. Finally she and the others made him stop. David rushed in. As though second in command she stared him down. "You paint this town fucking red if you have to but you four hunt! You are all to weak! Paul, who will be dealt with later from hiding his pain from me... " and her Playboy yelped at the look in her eyes "We will. I need to know though..." he had an uncomfortable, boyish look in his eyes and she reached out for him. "We are mates, David. I am also pagan. Who am I to deny my boys a little pleasure with their meal? THough I know you and the rest won't, I won't crucify you for flirting!"

Paul gave out a laugh. "Is it me or are you kinda wanting us to bring you back a toy?" he gave her a suggestive wink and she couldn't help herself. "Star first. Then you and I are going to have a night to ourselves on the town Playboy and if you must know, kind of partial to red heads, atheletic if you know what I mean." and Paul just about fainted right then and there, making the other weakened three laugh and David wink at her. "I'm taking pictures, you'll just have to torture me later." and she laughed as they left. She felt for that select energy that was her gentle one, her daring but sweet one Marko and felt him still caught sleeping off last night's antics. She wanted a night that was theirs, the others knew that. So she went to her dresser and choose carefully.

She had found that she and he shared a love for midnight blue, so she found a lovely gown that could double as a night dress that she had once seen on a woman when she travled India with Rowan. Sparkling like midnight waters and flowing around her she smiled, wrapping the gorgeous silk around her, the sari leaving a shoulder bare and loved and comfortable it felt. It was when she felt the link between the other four she let herself be drowned in the images. It was a day most sensitive like her felt like few do. The voices of the gunned down rung out and the images rand through the mind like someone with PTSD! She made her way to the kitchen, working to brew a particular brand of tea she invented called Serenade, like liquid velvet on the throat and charms to fight deep sadness. The smell of jasmine lifted her spirits a little, at least enough to dry the tears and feel her Cherub up and about.

She moved slowly to the living room, images assaulting at a rate that she was afraid of dropping it and breaking the glass. She curled on the couch, grabbing a pillow and turning on the tv. She drank slowly but it wouldn't stop! It just wouldn't! The evil bore down on her, the images, the blood. And she thought of her own actions of late and wondered if there was anything at all such as good, or whether it was all just a sick game and the world a giant Alchewitz! She was shaking, caught so into the story on the tv, on the phsyic breakage that always came this night, the voices of the dying children that she didn't see him till she felt him. "Aserah, Aserah darling please talk to me!" and then she grabbed him, pulling him on the couch with her and wrapping around him like a life line, the images pouring out of her straight into him. This was not what she wanted. She had wanted to be beautiful for her Cherub tonight...

"Stop it, my goddess! I worship you and you know it and any way I see you it will be the most beautiful image I have ever beheld!" he pulled her tight, and even in this state she felt him, that gaze, that adoration and the lust. "And you are a marvel, Cherub." she gave him a soft smile. "I would argue my value, but I would rather you talk to me." he pulled back, wiping the tears away with his thumb. She was shaking so he took her to lean in to him, to feel the heat and comfort of his frame but let her speak. She tilted her head back.

Marko's POV

As he always did he got mesmorized by those emerald orbes, now so filled with pain, like someone was slowly torturing her and it made him murderous! But the images came from no living source. He couldn't find and kill the source of her pain. But how he loved her! He conveyed all of it, just how deep those emotions ran inspite of how short of a time they had with one another. There would be no others for Marko, not now, not EVER! He ran long fingers up and down her neck and gave her what she needed to see, his cheshire smile. She never looked down from his gaze, she could see her sinking into him and what that did to him! He made himself wait. "I've never talked about it, not even to other witches. But all of us feel it. All of us feel the tear in the riff that happened that day. The screams, the voices, the images. And it is the same every year. Since 4/20/1999." she said

"Tell me, tell me with your words Sweet Thing. What happened on that day?" slowly she turned towards the television, beckoning him to do the same. "I had images all day. Two boys, boys I had never seen before. Both cute in the average way. Both covered in black. I would have thought it nothing more than a strange symbol of the images didn't stop!" her tremor started and Marko held her tighter." I watched it unfold like I was some third gun men! I saw them get past the guards. I saw them place the pipe bombs! I saw them in the cafeteria, the library! The screams of all those kids! Just kids! Running from a war zone that should have come out of some third world country, so it looked like! The blood on the floor. And then there was this girl..." and as if on cue there was a girl, a petite little thing, fragile, built not unlike his witch making bile rise in his throat. A sickness took him as she continued.

"I raged at God all my life, but I would never make another suffer for my own doubt or my own rage! But those boys! THey dragged her out by her hair..." and he could see it, like he was in the room, that death like silence even when chaos errupted, like even in this horrific situation everyone knew something was about to escalate this monstrosity. The tears flowed and the girl was scared but Marko saw bravery there, and strength. And he saw something he had never had. Peace, absolute peace! And a voice, one not unlike David's, that others would call cruel asked her a question. A searching question from a soul so empty of all love of any kind that he would seek it in the eyes of others for something they didn't even believe in! She bravely looked her assasin in the eyes. In a moment her fear vanished. There was a light there and a moment, a moment between predator and prey that Marko had never experienced. "Do you believe in God now!" and the answer "You know that I do."

"You know that I do, like the poem on the walls of Alchweitz! I believe in the sun, even when it is not shining, and I believe in Love even when no one's there. And I..." her quaking voice was stopped by Marko's own "And I believe in God, even when he is silent." her eyes grew wide. He gave her a sad smile. "Germany. David found me dying on the streets durring Krystalnauct. My name was Marcius Josef Askenosi. And I understand what happened to you my little angel. This binds us. It could have only been you." "My God Marko! WHY?!" he pulled her tighter. "That pain has long ago vanished for me. I never spoke of it with anyone but Dwayne..." she smiled. "His people" she said and he nodded. "It didn't end there..." and he knew, she had to finish. Though it killed her she had to finish. "I'm here, Sweet Thing. They'll never stop till you finish it." he told her. Another face flashed and this one stabbed his heart!

Long blonde hair and this girl, this bright smile, like an angelic bearing and a light around her! She was hiding near her friends, trying to protect her when she was pulled out. It was the taller one with the longer hair. "And what about you Cassie?" it was obvious to everyone except maybe her that for this one it wasn't a question of looking for some kind of meaning. He had a twisted interest in the girl. But she did not shake, she did not look away, she had no fear. Only peace, peace and a smile, a smile to blind away the death and the cries and the pleas for mercy. "Do you believe in God now?" the anger that penetrated this boy was stiffling. Sometimes the greatest monsters laid within the human heart. "Yes!" it was loud and clear, proud, before the bullet went through her head. And the images went black.

Aserah was shaking. Shaking and blindingly beautiful. He could hardly believe she was real! He got up, making sure she finished her brew before he pulled her up by her hands. His eyes never left hers. "Come with me." he said softly. He cursed himself softly but the lust was still there. But he couldn't fight it and a soft smile from her told him he had no need too. It was the spare room that had been given to Max. He closed the door behind them. "If I talk, you'll listen." he started, lifting her in bridal fashion and laying her there before taking a place beside and hovering above her, and though the touch was light, he couldn't stop himself. "You are not evil, you are everything that is right if the world, but soaked in violence. A predator is not an evil creature, I know that you have always believed that." she nodded her head and he caught the image of the blonde haired, violet eyed Brat Prince he knew by sight.

He fought the urge to growl. Beside her his fingers traced up and down bare legs were the silken garment fell away, goose bumps following. So warm and soft, the smell of her flooded his senses but he fought his beast. "There is no Joker, sweet Aserah. There is no pure evil. At everything evil there is a cause, a root, a tragedy. That is the heart of it! To take it out one must take out the root! But the nature of the world is not what has been forced down your throat, even as a witch!" He moved closer, she moved closer, like a wire tethering the two of them together. "We are creatures of Balance, dearest. We are the un natural things made to see that no side tips to much, lest everything is torn around us! Our vengeance will be satisfying, I won't deny it and neither will you." a wicked smile that made him absolutely crazy had him pulling her underneath him and pulling the silken blue up and tasting the skin of her neck.

He pulled back, with every bit of self control he had. "They also threaten that Balance. I need not explain Star to you, but the Froggs have gone beyond what they have done to us." there was a questioning rage in her eyes. "The blood of your sister witches is on their hands. They do not distinguish vampire from witch, and right now, they stalk the Talamasca!" and he had to duck from the unhinged molding in the wall that went flying. "WHat?!" her eyes were solid red, no irsis could be seen. Like living fire! The aura that sprung around him was unlike anything he ever felt! The wrath of a powerful witch was nothing to trifle with, and that of a Mayfair... And yet he couldn't think of anything more sexy, more inticing, more tempting than this image of her! Her strength, her rage, her compassion, she was made for them! He held her, kept her there till she began to relax.

"Then when we kill them, we will be doing what is in our nature to do." her head turned aside, considereing. He drew her gaze back. "Yes. Stop doubting yourself so much!" he scolded and she gave him a playful smile. "You are wiser than you appear, sir!" she said with a sparkle in her eye before sneaking something and he got a pillow knocking him to the bed. He gave her a smirk that he knew made her weak. "So it's going to be that way!" and she laughed, starting a chase around the room, pillows flying everywhere till he finally got her pinned. They were grinning ear to ear when he finally caught her. Her glowing skin and racing heart brought out his beast and the smell of her arousal made him growl. He bent down and whispered "MINE!" he looked back up into her green, darkening ones and was answered. "YES!" and he crashed his lips into hers again, moaning at the taste of her. And this time there was no one to stop him, nothing to come between molding his body to hers, and how it felt!

Like something missing returned! Her generous breasts pressed against them, hardened underneath blue silk. Her teasing smile and yet submission, this woman of such power, baring her neck. He bent again, lifting her, licking, nibbling, the taste of salty sweat and spice on his tounge. He laid her there, just starting, battling. Not the beast tonight. He wanted to be Marcius with his Aserah tonight! She reached up, pulling over his head the fitted tee she got him that he found he rather liked! Skilled finger tips made him groan as she ran them down his naked back. He pulled her in, unwrapping her almost like a gift and he was deeply grateful at that moment for her choice in clothing! She was almost bare, the cloth now more like a blanket covering her legs that he quickly removed. There was a twist of her wrist and a force he never felt had him on his back. With a smile that made him swallow his tounge she deftly removed his belt and undid he jean button.

They kissed each other with abandon and she was sucking at his neck, him not caring at all, having made the wound himself that she took a little from him. She worked all the way back down him, and looked back up, taking her long hair in one hand. All of his length she took when she wasn't licking, or open mouth kissing his member till all he could do was scream out her name till he couldn't take it anymore! He had made a promise to her not that long ago, and he had full intentions on keeping it, especially after what she had just done for him! He pulled her up by the waist, enjoying the rather shocked expression on her face.

"I made a promise, Sweet Thing. And I am a man of my word!" he held her wrists over her head and began with kissing, then nipping and biting her, finding that she had a little thing for pleasure and pain. He cupped her perfect breasts in his hands, praising Aprodite for creating such a perfect creature.

He took the left in his mouth first, soft kisses starting on the outside, moving closer and closer to an ever hardening nipple before he took it and sucked gently but the moans for his name was making him crazy and he began to nip gently at first. He looked up at her, she gave him a nod. And he bit, and for the first time since he became a vampire the scream that came from his drinking was not one of pain! He licked away the wounds and Max's words came back to him. He had no need to be afraid. She was always meant to be their's! he worked her next breast, cupping the other, teasing it with his thumb while he drank the other. It was to much when her name never left her lips and she was pleading with him to look up and when he did, he was hers! "Claim me Marko!" never had more beautiful words ever been spoken in the English language! He rose up and they kissed violently, sharing blood as he parted her legs gently.

He drowned in her lust filled gaze. "Deep Marko." and it was all he needed to hear. He pulled himself on her, melting into her frame, never letting his skin move from hers. A little gasp came out of her and she was just so tight! He growled though not at her. It was dual, the sensation, and the fact that though it had been a long while by how tight she was, someone else had touched her! And from her past...that bastard of a father was lucky SHE was the one who killed him! (false assumation on Marko's part but neither Dwayne or Aserah are going to take away any of the importance of what they feel for her because her's and Dwayne's is deeper, older, and more powerful. They are all still her mates and I wanted to show that with this chapter with Marko) They rocked slowly at first and how she kept pulling him in, deeper and deeper! "Don't be afriad, you won't hurt me, I want all of you, please Cherub!" she begged and he gave her everything!

For hours they moved, not one bounce, not one slap of skin, but as one thing and he hid the tears in his eyes! He had sex before, lots of it, and lots of good sex! But it was never like this! It never felt like this! This incredible feeling of being a part of someone, that empty hole he felt in his heart gone, lust that did not leave him cold but happy and peaceful, the eyes of his lover held his heart, none had ever done that before!. He heard the gasps come faster, and he felt his own finish coming as they moved faster, and God! Like an Angel of the Lord, a prayer of the Prophet Debrah as she called his name over and over, screaming it the same time he screamed hers! They laid side by side, fingers laced together. he turned his head to gaze at her. "I love you Aserah." he said. A single tear he traced on her face fell when she answered him back. I love you too, Marcius!" and he knew a stupid smile marked his face.

She gently smacked his arm. "What?" he asked. "Come on, the others will be back soon and they are going to want to move on the Froggs and the Emersons." But there was a joy on her face, something not there before that though he would like to think it, had nothing to do with him. "Mona and Quin are coming!" she beamed and he remembered the bond that was damn near twin like between her and her cousin. If it were true then... A wide smile of a different kind came on his face. He was also rather glad he didn't tear that gorgeous gown, he wanted to see her in it and see the image she cut in a man's mind that couldn't have her, and he was pretty sure his brother's would agree with that one!

I know some of the facts about Columbine are incorrect and I meant nothing but the utmost respect for those who went through such a terrible thing and I meant only to give honor to the tragedy in the best way I could. In the next chapter Mona and Quin arrive. Depending on my little poll, whether Quin seeks to help save Michael and leave the others to their justly earned fate depends upon you, my readers! I know I am not the best at smut and some do not like it on here but please don't stop reviewing because of it! I will have her consumate her relationship with each of the boys but that is not the main part of the tale and I want you to continue to enjoy what I have in store. Please REVIEW! I miss you all! REVIEW! And while I'm begging, check out my other story, Assasin, a Serenity/Lost Boys tale that pairs River Tam/Dwayne as mates. Better than it sounds, I beg you to give it a shot! Mona comes with news from New Orleans about the Mayfair conclave. Both drag Dwayne, Quin, and Max aside and tell them two things. One that it is time for the Lost Boys and their new Lost Girl to openly and defiantely take back their home in the cave (with Aserah there to supervise the application of electricty and technology durring the day) and listening to Mona, Aserah abandons her spy scheme for something else that Quin was planning. THere, as the updating begins, the cousins tell the story of Lasher, of Mona's mortal death, of the Taltos, and what the monster planned to unleash using Aserah as a vessel.


	9. Skyfall

**Chapter 9: **Skyfall

Mona Mayfair and Quin Blackwood arrive with ideas of their own, even as while Aserah has to brace herself for the horrors of dark family secrets she had to lay before them, bare. As Lasher's false sense of security is seen as what it is, the newcomers suggest that now, instead of later was the time to strike. The clock is ticking and with each minute Lasher grows more unstable and more powerful. They are told to escalate the inevitable confrontation and revenge against the Froggs. But not before Quin gives them information the Pack did not know. Star had used a darker side of magick to draw Micheal to her side, blind to all else and the consequences, against any chance he had to make the choice. His plan was to eliminate him as a threat if not turn him into an ally by demonstrating that his feelings for Star were something she had used a dark spell to bind him to herself. THough not liking it, the Boys like it alot better than risking Aserah as bate so they throw in with Mona and Quin who tell them it is time for them to reclaim their Cave Home openly and in the public eye, with updating that Aserah demanded, of course! With this all going on, Aserah must push Star futher into demntia, to get her to perhaps admit openly to Michael what she had done.

This is the end

Hold your breath and count to ten

Feel the earth move and then

Hear my heart burst again.

For this is the end

I've drowned and dreamt of this moment

So overdue I owe them

Swept away, I'm stolen

Let the sky fall

When it crumbles

We will stand tall

Face it all together

-excerpt from Skyfall by Adele, that even a metal fiend like me has to admit was epic and lovely!

Aserah's POV

Back in her midnight blue sari she allowed Marko t ooffer an arm to her. She had food to make for six people. She had already deided on something quick and easy paired with a drink she was going to need for the tale she and Mona were going to unfold. Her sleep through days were over. She was going tohave to up the anti with Star and push things to a conclusion with the Froggs if she wanted to escape the curse of Lasher and have the power needed to end him for good! She couldn't hide that she was terrorfied of this fight. She had to make real for her Boys, especially Dwayne, just how dangerous it would be for them to interfere. Mona and she had to travel nigh unto the rip i the viel the Reawakening of the Taltos, use their power and blood to close it, throwing Lasher in before they did. And then they had to manage to come back. She would not have to lean on Mona's strength even as Mona depended on her sheer, raw power. All these thoughts ran through her head at lightning speed, as she moved around th ekitchen, not even having to call his name before she felt hi try to sneak up on her. She smirked, the efforts bringing her out of her dark thoughts.

"Are you even trying, Cherub?" she quipped, which got her swept to the floor with a softened landing said Cherub playfully living up to his nickname, teasing, vamped out to the T. "You know that is just a turn on, right?" she said in response. He wore a smirk that would make David proud. "You just topped the list of my favorite distractions, Marko." she said before using her ability with his to where he blurred back up on his feet. Laughter that was not their s put him on immediate guad whereas Aserah wore a goofy grin. "Are we interupting something, Babcy Girl?" she was on her feet in a flash dazzling her a moment before she squeeled and her and Mona jumped on one another. "Don't worry, you get use to that pretty fast, the enhanced senses and physical limits that no longer apply to you." Mona said. She turned to Marko, extending her hand. "What's up Curly? I'm Mona Mayfair. And I must confess you are a rather fine of speciman of man, if I weren't so taken..." Aserah giggled like mad, Marko gave her a wink and laughed and Quin simply put his head in his hands saying "Oh dear God!" but the tone was teasing and indulgment.

"Tall, dark and broody kill joy back there is Quin Blackwood." Aserah piped in. "If that is what Marko looks like what will the others be like?!" Mona whispered conspirtaly in her ear. A if on cue, she could hear them as they came to the door. "You're about to find out!" she replied with a smirk. The living room door opened and David's voice boomed. "And she cooks Chinese!" "She does, and she is entertaining guests at the same time, she's multi-talented, your girl!" she answered even as Mona began to step in behind her and start chipping. Long strong arms went around her waist from behind. "She certainly is." Paul's voice was playful but scratch the surface and it dripped pure seduction. She would have buckled if he hadn't been holding her up. Mona laughed causing Paul's attention to turn, thank God! "Oh do go on, I like to watch!" the red head said with a smirk, earning her a stomped on foot by an Aserah in heels. "Owie!" the other girl pouted as the room errupted with laughter. He removed one hand to put on Mona's shoulder. "Definate best friend potential" he said knowingly.

"It's pricy. I demand havoc being raised at all times!" she said evenly. He released Aserah and held out his hand to the red head. "Your price is agreeable." Mona sagely shook it. "And such was the beginning of the End of Days." David muttered but there was humor in his eyes. Quin simply rolled his eyes and made his way towards the larger group. "She does that." he said as if it explained everything. "So does Paul" Dwayne said with a roll of his eyes. "Unfortunately this is not a social visit. Lasher is being pushed by the latest events. While Aserah is still human, he puts the fate of the supernatural under his shadow. He will bring us all crashing down. All the Mayfairs and the entirety of the Talamasca and even the Hermetic Order of the Watchtowers are gearing up!" a growl so loud it shook the house got everyone staring as her Archangle suddenly had her in his arms possesively, yellow eyes now pure red! "Those bastards threw her out like so much trash, no way to get help from the Talamasca or any Mayfair knowing that THing hunts her, wants to violate her, use her for some horrible ends, and yet they expect her to go to ear against it, alone, so they can be safe?!" he demanded and she marvelled at hte ansering power he commanded in his rage.

Mona was as livid as he was! "War will come, whether they will have it or not! We'll stay, will help you take on the Hunter scum and see that Aserah is fully turned. Then only us, alone, this coven, will see Lasher destroyed. With your power unified with ours, we will destroy the rift and any chance of those things coming back. I will not stand back and watch it happen like it did to me. Not to my Baby Girl!" blood tears ran down Mona's face. "She needs you, Princess." he gently let her go. With a loyal exclamation like that, the Boys adopted Mona immediately. Aserah pulled her into her arms, wiping the tears. "I don't think you or Quin will be able to shake us now. Welcome to the Pack, Queeny Red." she whispered. "Yes, what our girl said! Now Pack War Council in the living room as soon as that epic King Pao and Lo Mein is ready." said Marko. She snapped out of her trance, making Quin snort. "You guys go sit. The two masters of Chinese shall continue. Shouldn't be long now." he turned to her, his face stoic but there was humor in his eyes. "You have learned well form me , young Grasshopper," the ice was broken. The others went gleefully with their new partner in crime.

As she showed Quin were everything was she said one word. "Spill!" He raised a dark eyebrow at her. "Don't even try it, first of all, even as a vamp you are a terrible liar, and second you are my best friend so I can read you like a book! Now lets try this again. Spill Blackwood!" he shook his head softly but laughed. "Alright, you got me. I did a little research on your Hunters with some help from an irate Summer Braydon whom they have been stalking non-stop in New Orleans. There is something you all should know about Michael Emerson and Star. I will tell you only this before we all talk. In the time of when those horrid things took place, Michael did not act out of free will. His will and desires were tampered with, and are still." Quin's words made Aserah's jaw drop! She definately did not expect that! "He has a glamour on him?!" the very idea infuriated her! The biggest no, no of the Arts was taking away someone's free will! "Did you follow the magic?" she demanded, feeling some sympathy for the nieve man for the first time. Quin gave her a look that made her laugh.

"Yeah, sorry. So where di the trail lead?" she asked. "The signature of Star's simpler gypsy magick is all over it, and has grown due to her unwillingness to let him go. She never gave him a choice." Aserah breathed deep but her rage reached out and everything in the kitchen was rattling! So focussed on trying to reel back the power she didn't notice till she felt her Archangel's arms back around her. "Shh, come now baby, focus on me, breath with me." Quin stood back, a worried look on his face. She forced herself to melt into one being. Deep breaths, his and hers. hearts morphed into one, movement. By the time she came to everything was fine, and she smiled at the look of awe Quin shot Dwayne. "The Constant Lovers, this life and all lives!" he whispered in shock. She looked up as Dwayne shot him a grin. "Yes, we are. What happened?" he asked. "That's to be revealed during the talk. But lets just say the biggest mistake a witch ever makes i the taking away of someone's free will. And the Emerson boy did not attack the Pack by his own active choice, though he was made to think so. He is still not under his own will. Aserah and Mona know that its like to have that stolen."

She was still angry. About being tricked and posessed, her and Mona, by one of Lasher's fellow Taltos entities. "Shh, I've got you. Nothing and no one can touch you, Princess! We'll make him pay, I swear to you!" he said gently rocking her. Making her feel safe, loved, wanted! "every second little one! Just being near you makes me crazy!" but his silent voice was heard and Quin wore his dorky big brother smile. I am glad you found them Baby Girl. That you have mates that know you so well that love you that much." Dwayne was touched by the words. He looked up again to Quin. "I swear I will never, ever let her go and I will not let her die! She is Pack. As you are now, by the way. No more wandering for the Shakesperian couple. Time to set roots away from that toxic fold. Welcome home." she couldn't be more happy to hear those words! Quin shook his hand. Good to be here, but we really do need to take back the cave." he responded. "Updates!" she said in a demanding whisper that made them both chuckle.

The timer went off and Aserah went for the plates, grabbing chopsticks and ordering both men out of the kitchen. WHile heating the saki the news about Michael sunk in. So did that calculating look on Quin's face as he spoke. Her adopted brother obviously up to something! She sent out a silent call to Marko to help and blushed when he entered and smiled at her, remembering every touch, every worshipful glance, calling her name with such reverence it was as though she had been Isis enthroned! On cue he walked up and kissed her. He briefly rested his forehead on hers. "I'll never touch any other again. They'll never measure up to you, my Goddess." she gave him a shy smile. "And none will ever be you, my Cherub." the genuine smile he wore would make Satan himself melt! "Alright my dear, I need a hand with this." she said, gesturing to the artfully made up plates and the warmed up cups of saki. "You are that scared?" he asked softly, knowing why the Saki was chosen. For either her or Max. Mona and I have terrible secrets, what we have to tell you. Alot of blood comes with the Mayfair name, and it all has a single root." she said. "And that root's name is Lasher." he finished for her.

She nodded. The first plates went to David and Paul who seemed to almost enjoy her hands on mothering. The next went to Max with one of the other taller Saki cups. She knew he was going to need it as much as she did! She couldn't help but be amused by the fact that Mona already turned those so-called bad boys into putty. "It's amazing, you have them house trained and everything! I applaud you!" Mona tried to lighten the atmosphere before their heavy burden became the burden of the entire Pack. Nightmares that were all to real. David raised an eyebrow at her. "Between you and Paul, I think it's going to be you two monkey that are going to need the training." he said with his best pokerface while Paul elbowed him in the ribs. "You are just giving him evidence, Playboy." Aserah commented. "You say that now my little minx but I bet I could make you eat those words when alone." his eyes flashed ark but the comment was only partly a joke and she hid well the lump in her throat and rose to the challenge. "I bet you could!" she purred out making a show of bending over right in front of him and licking her lips before giving Dwayne his plate, knowing he couldn't react how he or she, really, wanted him to react with Max right there.

"I swear, soon my sex Kitten, soon" his promise sent a pleasurable shiver down her spine. Mona looked at her with pride and a wicked smile. "I think I may be scarred for life!" Max commented. "I'm with you on that one!" Quin made a show of shuttering in horror. The girls laughed with glee. "Did we break your concentration?" Aserah asked in her best Samuel L Jackson voice. That sent David into hysterics and Aserah made a mental not to introduce the rest to Pulp Fiction as soon as possible! Her and Mona hive0fvied before she finally took her seat and began to mentally prepare herself for what she had to do. Mona grabbed her shaking hand and held it with her own. "It is time for you all to understand the burden we carry. A burden bore by every child-bearing female of the Mayfair line." as Mona spoke all laughter died. "Before the evolution of human kind there were other intelligent beings. They called themselves Taltos, and they wre telepathic beings. They were taller than humans, made of cartilidge rather than bone, and the smallest of them reached 7 feet. They reached adult maturity minutes after exiting the womb." her words brought up unbidden images of Mona wasting away after the departure of Morrigan and her cousin's hand tightened around hers.

She knew Dwayne had caught it as the gaze with which he held them shifted and there was an anger there that she was rather glad she would not be on the recieving end of! He moved closer and locked eyes with her. She had to will him to listen! "Everyone here knows the story of Atlantis. THe Taltos are it's embodiment. But a few made contact with the first witches of the world before the volcano claimed their island. Those who would go on to found the Bennett, the Mayfair, and the Ambrose blood lines. Instead of letting that race die out as they should have and fate directed, the witches helped them survive. If cut a rift in the viel, and as a consequence have been my family bane ever since. But there is a villain in this tale. Someone who began the corruption of their home. Who has raped, murdered, and killed Mayfairs of every generation! Using our wombs to support monsterous offspring. With every birth he grew stronger, every death gave him more power." Aserah continued, living the memories of those who walked before her. The nightmres that haunted her every single night of her existance.

She took the entirety of her first cup of saki like a shot as Mona continued where she dropped off." They first preyed upon the modern Mayfairs throuh our mutual bitch of an aunt, Rowan. Lasher can charm when he chooses, and not realizing her husband was of the same family line and with Lasher's magick, she concieved. The twins she bore tore out her womb. One, Emaleth, was an innocent, the only reason she lived while the other was Lasher, in the flesh. She went after him after her daughter's milk healed her. He caused the death of a dear friend of all of us who had not long before then married into the family, Aaron Lightner. Bitch killed her own daughter out of horror and revenge by the way. She was helped go after Lasher and his lackies by an ancient Taltos named Ashlar. THey never found Lasher, but she killed his henchmen. That's how powerful Lasher is! And with the three males alive sterile my and Aserah's wombs were his last chance. When Rowant became catatonic a spell weved by a family ghost caused me to sleep and concieve with my Uncle. The child was Taltos, a daughter named Morrigan that we did everything we could to protect from Rowan's wrath.

Thankfully, it was Ashlar that found her, not so fortuately my womb was ripped out and I needed Morrigan's milk to heal. Death was slow, but in dying I met my Quin and m a childer of the Brat Prince himself! But it has made things far more dangerous for Aserah She is the last link left. Now that she's half and he knows it, he will come for her on every paln of existence there is! It is time for you to push ahead with your plans, with the Hunter, pronto. She needs Star's blood to turn in your species of vampire." Mona eyeballed David. "I will not let anything happen to her. But what is it you are getting at?" he demanded. "Now that's what I want to see! I think it's time to take your real home back and your town, openly. How do you feel about a little bike shopping tomorrow?" there was a light in their eyes both gleeful and menacing. Paul grinned from ear to ear and Aserah cackled. She put one finger up. "About the cave. It's getting upgraded! It's the 21st Century, time you joined! Hell even Lestat has the internet! Can barely use it, but still! I'm thinking lab tops and light bulbs!" She pontificated on her soap box. "That is actually not a bad idea, especially if you let your enemies see you do it.

I think it's time you gave up on your spy idea." Quin said. "Oh? Any reason? What are you cooking up in that wonderfully warped mind of yours?" she asked him pointedly. He turned those dangerous blue eyes that melts all into putty within line of sight on her. "we may already have a rooster in the hen house with our Hunters." he said. David looked directly at him. "Oh?" the tone was semi hostile. Aserah knew where Quin was going with this now that she had the information that the man in question had a glamour on him. "Michael Emerson did not and has not been acting under his free will from the first time he and the gypsy met." Quin began. Now it was all of the boys eyeballing him. "You are saying he as under her control? I don't buy it!" Marko was immediately angry, as well he should, being one of the first victims of their honorless sneak attack durring the day. "There is a spell a female witch can put on a male, and depending on her feeling towards the male will determine how strong the pull is. It is called a glamour. It takes away a male's ability to choose, he will do whatever the witch asks, without questions or thoughts to the consequences. Ever notice he didn't even blink about putting his own kid brother in danger in order to save Star?

Before that the brothers though they fought like most siblings, were extremely tight. Ever since Star entered his life, he barely has any relations outside of her and the Froggs, and even that is only on occasion when he fears for HER life! Her glamour is bound up in her one sided love for him, making the spell very binding and extremely strong. Break the glamour and we may loose Michael Emerson as a threat. In fact, if he is angry enough after learning what was taken away from him, he may become an insider for us. In return, we can give him access to the Order, to learn to use his modest abilities and develop them, and send him far away from here." Aserah spoke up. Not really liking it, but after having the knowledge she did, she did not hold Michael at the same level of fault as the others. To her it seemed that Star was the guiltiest out of all of them. She had schemed, played, and manipulated everyone around her to get what she wanted, regardless of the price payed by everyone else. She was worse than scum and she was going to deeply enjoy acting as the hand of Karma to bring that back stabbing bitch down! It injected new vigor into her efforts to drive the gypsy to the brink of insanity.

"That is my plan. You and Mona posess the abilities the rest of us do not have. You can break the glamour, and I can go and cultivate the boy. A little bit of truth and some enticement and we will have an insider that our intended victims all trust. I am aware none of you like this idea, and after what happened I don't blame you. But I would rather at least give this a shot instead of sending my Baby Girl into their den where anything can happen to her. It is worth a shot. And besides, Aserah has with her brilliance created a spell that makes sure someone's deeds catches up with them. What did you call that?" Quin turned to her. Her eyes lit up with the idea. "It's called the Loophole Curse. I contimplated one day how one could cause another harm that had wronged them in a horrific manner without breaking the Three Fold Law of do no harm. What I came up with was there was a loophole in this. Nothing ever said that someone's own bad karma can not come up to bite them in the ass. So this curse speeds up this process, makes all those bad deeds and the bad energy they have built up hit them at once. That way the witch is not at fault, because it was the person's own deeds that brought on what was happening to them but the witch is satisfied because the person has to pay for what they have done." her Boys stared at her in awe.

"I'm reminded again as to why I should never piss you off Princess, you are dangerous when you are pissed!" there was a small proud smile on Dwayne's face that she returned before breaking out into a delighted mad cackle. "I'm telling you, her and Mona are dangerous when they choose to be." Quin told them all. "I don't like it, I don't trust the Emerson boy as far as I can throw him, but I rather it be his ass on the line than Aserah's so I am willing to give it a shot. What do you say boys?" Max said slowly, she could practicly see the wheels spinning in his head and she downed her next cup of Saki. "I say yes, but if he so much as takes one step outside of the line, he is free game." David eyeballed Quin. "I will agree only if the mentioned Loophole Curse is used immediately after his usefulness is past due. I don't like the idea of him getting off scott free. He still bares some blame for his actions. And I won't have him be a constant threat to my witch should he decide he loved Star after all and comes for her out of revenge!" Paul stated through gritted teeth. She knew he hated the idea but he was not going to allow her to risk herself, so he would take any option that would get her out of Frogg clutches.

"My requirement is that after everything is said and done, he leaves this town and he never ever returns, and he takes a blood oath to never speak about the things that have taken place here, past or present." Dwayne said. It seemed to her Dwayne had always suspected the path the boy took. Though it was true that there was still blood on his hands, to Dwayne it never seemed like was in control of himself. It was something you could see in the eyes if you were trained to look for it, and in his human life, he had been trained to stare into men's souls. "I will not argue against the others. I will only say if you want to work with him, keep him away from me. I can't forget that night, and I will have my vengeance if I catch him alone. I don't like it, and he is just as likely to backstab us as Star. He may choose to reject the information given. And if he does, it will be your job to make sure he is not a threat, Quin. He is your agent, so he is your responsibility, so you keep him on a short leash." Marko bit out. Mona released her power to envelop her new family member with calm with concern in her eyes. "The past is the past. Once this is over, you will never see that face ever again. If you wish it I will stop the dreams." he gave her cousin a grateful look. And so it looked to be that all had been settled. The next evening would be the beginning of taking back the town.

But the real fight still cast it's shadow over the entire Pack. The confrontation with Lasher would make or break everything they had worked for, and Aserah was not sure that it was a fight she would be able to win.


	10. A Changing of the Guard

**Chapter 10: **A Changing of the Guard

Mona and Aserah take the newly enlarged Pack for a night out on the town, using it to draw out the Froggs and declare open war on the wouldbe Hunters. The fate of Laddie is made known, getting everyone's favorite Brat Prince volunteered to take back Claudia's tragedy and make it right by bringing a son back home. Quin uses the opportunity handed to him at the Harley Dealership to make aquaintances with Michael and his mission to set a rooster in the hen house starts out beautifully.

He could never replace what she took

the bonds she broke and the life she claimed

when she bonded himself to her and set his will in her chains

and put his life and family to the torch, danced with the flames

without remorse, without pity, without care of the price she took.

All that he wanted, his future, his dreams

Everything that was good, the people he loved

she drove them away pulling his puppet strings he knew nothing of

all his dreams vanished in the mist of time and wafting above

and now the strings begin to fray and break at the seams

He will take from her the price for stealing life and will

for days spent in blind obediance

answering and obeying her each and every whim

he is breaking away from the bonds of her sins

Hw will let open the gates as her enemies close in and go for the kill.

-The Settling of Accounts by Makilome

Paul's POV

He opened his eyes, excited about the night out, particularly with the pure debachery he was sure his new and mot excellent partner in crime would insist upon! That and those elicous ideas on how to properly christian his new ride with his minx of a witch! For once pleasure and business were one and the same, as by their very deliberate intentions on creating sheer havoc they were opelny declaring war on the amatures that dared style themselves Hunters by the name of Frogg! It still bugged him that inspite of themselves and their habit of shooting themselves in the foot they had managed to get the drop on them all those years ago. He wished they had the time to make them pay for their crimes by the currency of screams and blood, but Lasher had to be dealt with, and with every second he gained more power. His Aserah's life was far more important than his desires for vegence. At the very least he could watch while his witch introduce the traitor to her Iron Maiden before she took the blood that would take her out of her demon's clutches and into their arms, never to be seperated ever again!

He could not deny that the homicidal freak of nature hung at the back of every thought, casting a shadow of fear over his heart on what he could loose if they should fail. It fyeled his anger and his beast, sending adreniline through his veins. He had no qualms with taking his rage out on the cause of all heir problems! If they had not been killed, Max could have got Aserah out long before, and the Mayfair monsters would have never been the threat they were now, and not her alone! He forced himself out of his gloom thoughts while he found the leather pants that made his Kitten swoon like a teenage girl and her idolized guitar god Dimebag Darrell of Pantera t-shirt. He thought about annoying her by putting his hair back as it used to be, or as she called it "the horrific 80's do of DEATH!" but decided against it, though the idea did make him giggle. Instead he just brushed it and left it unbound, guarenteed to create alot of attention from the fairere part of the species.

He wouldn't mind creating a little jealousy, as an angry Kitten is a deluctabbly, finger licking, Sex Queen on legs when she was pissed, and she would take it out on him in the most delicous of ways, ways that would probably have his toes curling! He pulled out his biker boots, a little giddy about matching them to the right Harley. Mona and Aserah had demanded that they all get Harley's, and if there was a scarier duo on the planet he sure as hell never heard of them! Beside it was funny to hear them rant about riding like a team that belonged on the Boardwalk instead of a ragtag group of rednecks. He just went along with it, as he did favor the brand, he actually got to have a top of the line bike of his own choosing instead of having to steal it, and seeing the girls so insistant and demanding amused and lit a fire in every male there except Max, even getting a sly little grin out of the usually stoic Dwayne. Apparently, with his Kitten around, Hell was going to start freezing over alot more often! Who knew the wonders getting laid would work for Dwayne's personality?! But then again it was about time that his brother removed the stick he once believed was lodged permently up his ass!

As suspected, he found her in the kitchen, but instead of cooking her and Mona both had two nicely sized wine glasses filled to the brim and they were doubled over in laughter. He didn't know whether to join or to run like a bat out of Hell. Those two women were unlike any other he had ever met, with sadistic streaks that rivaled possibly even David himself or all of them combined. To hear them cackling in there immediately put him on guard as it could very well mean someone else's demise! "Oh come and take a seat Playboy! Don't be such a baby!" His Kitten's voice, as it usually did, had him melting like butter and he began to wonder when the hell he had become such a sucker. But as terrorfying as his gorgeous dark headed goddess was, that wasn't really a bad thing. He walked in with an amused smile and a quirked eyebrow. "Evening Mona, you are looking delectable." he held Mona's hand out and gave it a peck before taking a seat next to her and turning to Aserah, trying not to turn into a puddle!

She was stunning! Her long dark hair was half unbound and straightened, falling in shining layers of silk over her shoulders and down her back. The other was pinned up in elbaorate braids, glistening with crimson and silver ribbons braided in. On either side of her temple two tendrils spiraled down and drew you to her face. Her eye shadow was a rather interesting combo, a violet blue blue with a glistening white streak creating a lighting affect that made the stormy sea of her eyes reach out and draw you in. A light peach pink, more pink than peach gave the effect of the oncoming of night. Accented at the corners with silver and mixed with grey and charcoal colors her liner was solid black and instead of the usual egyptian look an artful whismy got a hold of her and she drew artful, curling vines upwards to accent her bone structure, tiny red crimson crystals set here and there as though hanging droplets or glistening fruit caught at midnight in the light of the silver moon. Her cheeks were barely kissed with slight pink, enough to draw in those high cheek bones and then those gorgeous lips instead of bright read matched her outfit and braids, a dark crimson, pouting and begging to be kissed!

And the outfit! Made entirely out of silk, the dress resembled a lolita dress, made out of black silk and bordered and trimmed with crimson. But instead of the sweetheart strapless neckline this dress had an open neckline of black silk, leading down to the corset of beautiful silver dragons chasing across of sea of black, lacked together with crimson and reaching down to a delightfully short, layered skirt, each layer also himmed with crimson. Tight sleeves opened just at the elbows, breaking into elegant layers of all three colors. She wore a chandalier like choker of multiple onyx black beads that reached gracefully down to just above the neckline and glistened in drops that resembled blood and clear water. Unerneath that was skin tight leggings, showing off her glorious legs that were the same crimson of the trim of the top and revealed gorgeous riding boots of solid black with steam punk buckles that reached almost half way up the boots. They reached 3 inches below her knees and the platform bottoms reached 6 inches high.

It would appear that it was he who would be the one feeling the effects of the green eyed monster tonight, she was an absolute vision, and paired with her cousin, just as exoctic looks as her, in a strapless, off the shoulder, gathered blouse that matched Aserah's black that left the mid drift bear and split open at the elbow into bell sleves. A single jewel sparked from her pale stomach, her one of three peircings and she wore skin hugging black leathers. Her red hair was bound back in a tight bun but for a single long tendril left free in the back in a long spiral. It would be a wonder if Quin would be able to look away long enough to do what he had set out to! Gorgeous as his friend was, the raw sex Aserah exuded in that moment, carefree and wild, could not be matched and he knew the rest of the Pack would be as mesmorized as he was! It took a long moment before he was able to get his head straight, Kitten indulging him with a teasing smile that yet also seemed to have a genuine shyness to it. He personally thanked his lucky stars no one came along to take her away before the Boys could find her!

"And you my dearest Kitten are mind blowing, I think you do this to torture me. To look like a Dark Goddess to drive us all to distraction!" it was all he could do to keep from taking her right there on the table, and to his surprise, Mona wore the same look. "Don't be prude Playboy. It wouldn't be the first time, or did you never wonder where her taste in red headed girls comes from? But there is time for that later. You have got to hear about this!" both girls failed at keeping in laughter and the blood rushing to their face made them that much more alluring. The sheer child like joy on her face was not something he got to see on his witch as much as he wanted, so of course he wanted in! Mona turned her head to his, glee sparking in her emerald greens. "Baby Girl here has put her daytime hours to some very interesting uses! She was just giving me the blow by blow!" He raised an eyebrow, wearing his trademark smirk that he knew who woman adored. "Oh? Well don't stop, do go on!" if this had anything to do with that traitorous whore, he wanted all the juicy details he could get!

If Kitten had not claimed her, Paul would have made sure the gypsy knew what happened when a witch betrayed her coven. An uncontrolable smile broke out on her face and her eyes lit up with electricity, the excitement increasing the growing change from emerald to crimson. He tried to keep a straight face, but with Mona giggling and the sheer hilarity the red head exuded they both were in deep, almost in tears from the laughter. Aserah cleared her throat, like a school teacher taking back control of her class. "When you are both quite one, I shall make clear to you the final demise of Star Emerson's sanity." she countered, and he decide to not look at Mona once he was calm, or he would loose it all over again. "Right then, I got a idea watching one of my favorite anime's this morning..." he put a hand over her mouth, loving how she blushed and wondering how far it reached. "First off Kitten, pretend I have no idea what anime is." she rolled her eyes at him. "I really do need to bring you into the 21st Century! Japanese anime. You name it and their's an anime for it. Do your brain a favor and never look at hentei!" she shuddred in horror.

Not much grossed out his witch so now he was a little concerned but he couldn't stop the reeling of his imagination or morbid curiosity of all that is obscene. "Tentacle porn." Mona's silent answer to his unspoken question made even the pervert in him recoil. There were things that were just multiple levels of wrong in this world and he was pretty sure tentacle porn was in the top ten! "As I was saying..." she gave him a playful glare "I was watching an anime called Bleach and in the show there is this lecherous talking stuffed animal. And I had a very brilliant ida." this was getting interesting! "You remember the teddy bear you told me about, the one you had me cover in gore and ripped open?" Paul nodded, smiling at his own handy work. "Well, taking my cue from the anime, Star now has a ripped open, bloody, beat half to hell teddy following her around both in her waking and non waking hours asking her why and saying "they're coming you know. Coming for you. They came home from where they float. They all float down there, and when it's your turn to pay the price, you'll float too, you'll float till every second is repaid! Time's up!" and at the end of every single time, teddy vamps out and jumps on her." she finished. At first he was astonished and probably resembled a fish.

All the Boys knew how deeply Star had been disturbed by the character of Pennywise in It and her love for that bear. To blend them together like that in the form of such a harmless thing, it was sheer genious, the kind that would make their leader proud! Uncontrolable laughter bubbbled out of him and it got even worse as the imges played inside his mind! Mona was giggling like the mad woman she was and Aserah wore a smug smile and looked rather pleased with herself. He couldn't tell how long it took him to gather his wits, but he was not awar when David had come in and joined him, only that the next time he looked up, his leader was there with a satisfied and mirthful grin on his face. "Well, does that, or does that not make your evening?" he commented jovially. His leader was dressed to kill, no pun intended, in a fitted royal blue shirt and leather pants, a dark biker jacket folded in his arm. The mullet was now gone, something that he and Marko finally gave in on to their witch and it did do wonders for their leader!

"That is one of the most sadistic and sick things I have ever heard, and I have heard plenty! Pour me a glass, such awesomeness should be celebrated!" he responded in praise, filled with pride. His girl had more balls that some of the most feared of his kind in the world! She got the glass and held on to the bottom while Mona poured him a healthy amount. Neither one believed in the fancy filling of the glass to only half full. Taking a long sip he said "I think I want to look into this anime, if it inspires such genious" he remarked, saluting his lader with the glass before setting it back down. What a way to start a night!

David's POV

He couldn't help the proud grin that crossed his face as was again his mind recalled the delicously evil images his Little Bird tormented the woman who had cost not only them, but Aserah, Michael, and another one, one who's life would send his Boys into a tell spin as soon as the truth came out. Naturally, after he and Aserah had put bringing the Pack back into motion, he put in another call to Stirling Oliver and pulling on his sympathetic heart strings got him to look into what had become of the little boy they all had come to look upon as their own son. Not little brother, but as though he had been born into the pack. And it had always felt so, from the very night the little guy stumbled into their cave, half starving and covered in bruises, hiding from the Surf Nazi's that got a taste of retribution later, and they found him, draining the crystal bottle containing Max's blood out of thirst. They took them to themselves immediately, careful to never let him repeat the tragedy of Lestat's precious Claudia. His species made it so that as long as the boy remained half, he could still age to adulthood. When the Brat Prince first published his side of the story David felt automatic sympathy for the heartbreak the Brat Prince must have felt every time he gazed on the daughter who probably never knew just how devoted to her he really was.

The information Stirling uncovered sent him reeling, and truth to be told the shock still left him numb, tingling, on the edge of a rage that rivaled that of the ancient serpents of old that breathed fire upon helpless villagers for sins they did not know they committed. After the fight with them was over, the Frogg's dropped Laddie, thinking him Star's responsibility, something he would not fault them for, thought probably the only thing he wouldn't fault them for. Of all the things she had done and everything she was, he always thought, deep down that Star cared for Laddie, that she did what she did that she could save him from the life of a vampire. That after they had been taken down she would look after him like he was her own. It was the whole reason Max had allowed the then lust blinded David to turn the gypsy in the first place. The heartlessness, the coldness of this woman boggled the mind of even a fiend like him who enjoyed what he was and never apologized for it!

The tramp had used all her focus onto tightening her spell to the point of turning Michael into her personal puppet and follow, worship, and care only for her and left the boy out on the Boardwalk to fend for himself, never caring for what happened to him, never looking for him. The Surf Nazi's however remembered him and took out vengence against them on the defenseless boy, using him as target practice when they were not using them as their personal punching bag. A pimp vacationing from New York and looking to expand his territory and his business took one look at the boy and saw past the bruises to the handsome young boy underneath and bought him from the gang on the spot, cleaning him up and putting him to work immediately out on the violent, gun riddled streets of the dark alley's of New York. Records showed him alive but nothing more than that, being the smart one he always had been he kept out of the radar and out of jail. But the blood connected them. He reached out for his little dude and he felt the anger, the rage, the blinding pain and the detaching numbness.

It made him sick! He felt nothing but boiling rage for what had been allowed to happen to an innocent child because the gypsy couldn't be bothered to do anything except for herself! Enslaving one soul to her own whims and saling the other to constant torture and torment! He hadn't told the rest of them yet, he didn't even know how to begin! He had been the closest to Paul and Dwayne, and the moment they learned he knew there was going to be hell to pay! And there was his Little Bird, someone who knew all too well everything he had gone through, who had walked that horrific path on the leash of her own parents. The price Star Emerson had to pay was one that she would never be able to refund in full in this life, and his witch was powerful enough to make sure that she paid for every rape, every slap, every punch, every drop of blood, every tear! The 9th Circle of Dante's Hell was to good for the likes of Star! Unfortunately the two astute and powerful witches catch everything and every image that passed his mind and the look on his Bird's face made his blood run solid ice cold!

Solid onyx eyes with black lightening circling her tiny frame, weaving in and out of her aura and Paul looked over at her both scared and also concerned for his Kitten. "What's going on?" he asked. "Laddie." Mona growled, eyes lit in ultraviolet red, so bright and burning it hurt to look directly into their dangerous and deadly light. Solid red bled into the physical realm of the seeable around her and engulfed the whole of her aura, her murderous intent clear. Something came over his brother. A fear, a heart wrenching pain and a bitter rage came out as he spoke again. " What has happened to Little Dude? David, don't you dare hide this from me! What has that sick bitch done to our child!" he demanded. Paul did not ever demand anything from him, for him to to ever do this showed the turmoil going on underneath his immortal frame. A thousand horrific images that made him sick and he was begging him to tell him that they were not true. But that sad thing was, it was worse!

But it was the darkly powerful goddess, his Priestess that answered, the images bleeding so strong into her mind that it flew into his brother's own. "Star happened?!" her growl was animalistic, primal, the sound of a tigress on the hunt for those who dared threaten her cub! It was no matter if she had not set eyes on Laddie. Pack was pack and Mona and Aserah were mother hens who took care of what was theirs but whatever means need be! The power between the witches rose like electricity, the house began to rock on it's foundations and the items shuttered and locked together. Paul reached across the table and grabbed her hand, pulling her up, into his lap and locking his arms tight around her while everything he knew inmore detail poured out of her as tears fell down her cheeks. David moved forward and using the power of his authority wrapped his arms around Mona's shoulders and radited calm.

Slowly the power began to receed and grief, all consuming and shattering fell upon them and a rage unlike any he or any of the others felt before filled their hearts to the very brim. It was one thing for them to do as they did to the Pack. They were vampires and they did feed on the living, Hunters were bound to come around at one point or another. But the complete disregard of an innocent like Laddie and allowing him to be used, abused, and left in danger for his life like that was unexcusable under any reason! As the older witch regained herself she gave David a nod and a small sad smile, showing him she had the situation under her control now. She reached out, grabbing one of Aserah's hands as Paul continued to hold on, eyes still solid black and red holding onto to her as though she were the last link he had to sanity as he kept mouthing the word no over and over again. "Baby Girl, Paul, look at me." the authorative tone Mona's voice took on filled David with a new respect for the girl.

Both turned their attention on to her. "We'll find him. We have certain connections, Quinn and I. But you dear Paul, and your brothers will have to let go of your little jealousy over Aserah so that we can work together in peace and find the boy all the faster." she said softly. The dark haired witch looked up. "Armand?" she asked. She shook her head. "You know of whom I speak, Baby Girl. You know who has the resources, the means, and the reasons to help us find the boy." she said. A slow, wondering looking, blooming into a hopeful grin formed on her perfect crimson lips. "Lestat!" and that single name caused more emotion, fear, jealousy and anger than any other could coming from the lips of the woman he loved more than any other in the world. It was the awe in her voice, the light in her eyes as she spoke it, the hope that meer name comanded that filled him with strange feelings of possesiveness. Laughter bubbled out of her as she turned her now emerald once more eyes to his and she pulled Paul's arms tighter around her and leaned back, causing his brother to close his eyes and enhale her scent.

"Fangs, you do realize that Lestat is a brother from a different mother to me, and to choose him would be like some weird incest with an older brother right? I don't even want to think about it! It screams multiple levels of just wrong! Just, just levels upon levels of wrongness!" that honest shudder in her small frame as she got up from Paul's form and the digusted look on her face dissapeared and she walked up to him, his arms automaticly encircling her slender waist as she stepped up on her toes and gave him a kiss that made the badass vampire turn into a puttle of goo! She pulled back with a half smile and said "We're going to have to do something about that temper of your's!" she said teasingly. He pulled back in and said "Don't act like you don't like it!" with a purr that sent a shudder down her spine and madehim smirk. Soon it would be him and her, the taste of her, the softness of her skin, the feel of her body moving with his, unting with another being in a way he had never done before, even as a mortal man as the war between the states raged across volatile battlefields of the south.

"You do realize the second I get you in an empty room I own you right?" she said aloud, and damned if that didn't send his libido into overdrive! "And why must it be empty, Little Bird? After all, Mona likes to watch!" he growled into her ear. "Damn straight! Must see entertainment, the red head would be pleased!" she chimed, making him chuckle. She was definately growing on him! "You sure you want an audience when I rape you?" she asked playfully. "All I know is you tow better not hold out on me!" Mona mumbled causing everyone to bust up. They were interupted when a dark head dodged the doorway and took the now empty seat by Mona. "So what did I miss?" Quin asked. "All the good stuff, like usual." his Little Bird quipped. "Yep, it was quite the show!" Mona added sagely. Quin eyed both the witches with an amused look. "What am I going to do with you?" he asked. "Whips and chains, how many times do I have to tell you whips and chains Blackwood! And for godsake, wear a little leather!" Aserah teased. Mona nodded in agreement. "Yep! The Aserah is wise and all knowing. Whips, chains, leather!"

Around those two it was impossible to keep a pokerface going! "I'll set a camera up, just for you Little Red, show Blackwood here how it's done right and proper!" he said, loosening his hold on his witch and ruffling Mona's hair. "Be sure you do. And put your back into it! Aserah likes it long and strong!" said witch squiggled out of his hold to smack Mona on the back of the head. "DO you ever think about what you're saying before it comes out of your mouth? she quipped. "Now were would be the fun in that?" Mona fired back. He could well believe that those two were the terrors of New Orleans! "Sorry Kitten, but I got to go with her on that one." Paul said, weighing in. "Of course you would." she said with a playful roll of her eyes. Soon they were joined by Max who wore a rather amused expression. "Interesting tastes you have Mona!" he said. "You are just jealous becuase you aren't cool like me, Old Man!" she replied without skipping a beat.

"If that is what it means to be cool, I'll leave the causual voyeorism o you." he said. "As you should." she said. David was pretty sure he might meet his third death through pure laughter if they didn't stop soon! "Never to fear Davey, we are on a schedule to get our bikes and raise havoc!" Paul joked, causing his Little Bird to snort in a very unlady like manner. He fake glared at her, which she saw right through. He would have to get use to someone knowing not only all his secrets, but every single thought as well. The others came in and Dwayne, which didn't surprise him in the least, came up behind her and pulled her back and against him, and she reacted by leaning back, causing a small smile to come out of him that he had only witnessed since the Little Bird had become one of them.

Dwayne's POV

"Vampiric teddy bears, don't know whether to be amused or disturbed, Princess." he said in her ear. "Be disturbed, be very VERY disturbed." she countered. She was in high spirits. But there was a shadow upon the room and for once, it wasn't Lasher. He could always pick up on that, particularly with her. "Are you going to tell me what has everyone rather homicidal?" he asked to no one in particular. The pain filled look on Paul's face put him offguard, there was a twisting pain deep in his gut, growing all the worse with the dangerous magick surrounding the Mayfair witches and the utter lost look in David's eyes, a look that he had only seen on his leader's face only one time before. When he lost them all. "It's Laddie, our little dude!" Paul's voice wavered, a mixture of pure hatred and peircing pain ripping right through everyone in the room. It was like someone had taken away his second chance at unlife in a blink! "NO!" he screamed, trying his best to keep a hold of himself. But Laddie, more than any of the others, was his son, biological or not! For anything to have happened... And the swirl of power, the power of sheer rage that visably bled black around his witch's tiny form told him he was not alone, even if she had yet to set eyes on him.

It was she who set him at ease and filled him with worry and hatred in a single moment. "The so called oh so righteous Miss Bonafide Star left him out on the Boardwalk to die while she raped Michael's free will away from him! The Surf Nazi's found him first, taking out their hate for you on a defenseless child, a punching bag, their favorite moving target before selling him to a vacationing pimp from New York! There have been sparse sightings but with the war that bares down on the Talamasca, you know, the one they want Mona, Quin and I to win for them, that is all the information we have. All we can tell you is that his aura still shines bright and his heart beats." angry tears flooded her flawless face as he wiped them away with his thumb, Mona holding on to Quin like a lifeline. THe lives the two witches led left them to only lean on one another. To think of the gifted child all alone without protection... as the thoughts crossed the entirety of every part of glass of the neighboring house and three street lights shattered. It was David that gave them a single ray of hope.

"There is a way, still. Mona thinks we can find him, that we can bring him home, to finish what had begun so long ago and take him has part of the family, as he always should have been." he sent the redhead a blank look. "How in the fuck do you purpose to do that?" he asked. She took his mood in stride. "Remember who we are when you look and Quin, at Aserah, and myself. Remember the lines from which we draw. There is someone who has ample resources and considerable power and connections that could do what others have failed to do. But for him to do that, you have to not pull to strongly on your hate of his closeness to your witch." she said. A bitter smile peaked out. "You speak of Lestat. And why would he do us this kindness?" he asked. "Because he would not see the torment of Claudia be repaid if he can do something to stunt it. If it would redeem the act of taking a child that young and locking her in the frame of a beautiful 7 year old doll forever nearly a century, he will do it, that her silken footsteps haunt his dreams no more." Quin answered.

He had a deep love for his mate's Maker, an affection that went deeper than any in the room wanted to know about. It was a chance, and as much as he may not like the man's influence over his Princess, this was Laddie! There was no way in hell he was going to leave him out there with bitter memories, out to die! And as for everyone who ever dared touch him, they were all dead, something the whole of the Lost Boys Coven could agree upon. "Do it, do ladies! Bring him, hell bring the Devil's fiend if you must if it means it will bring him back!" the tears fell and were quickly wiped away. Mona gave him a compassionate look. "I shall send forth the call. Meanwhile, it is time for use to take what is ours, and send forth a declaration of War to our would be Hunters. Let's make those bastards pay for every small scrape they ever caused on that innocent little boy and do it with glee in our hearts!" and everyone, even Max, who had his own plans to contact another old contact by the name of Marius de Romanus, had a glass filled to the brim with the wine that Aserah, Mona, and Paul had been drinking.

"To bringing the Balance back to Santa Carlo and the hand of justice to pedophilic bastards!" Quin sounded, causing Dwayne to begin to warm a little more to the still standoffish Blackwood. Aserah explained he had been a sheltered boy with extrodinary gifts that kept him on his small farm till he aged and he was hoping he and the boys could get him intiatiated right and proper! They all left, his Princess tied to him and eyeing him and Paul like the fine pieces of meat and well he enjoyed every eyefull she took and gave her playful winks that she returned with those lustful looks that made him weak! Dressed in crimson velvet shirt he matched his witch in style well, with fitted black pants that glinted in the silver light as they headed towards the cabs that Max had ordered before hand. He would not let her go out of his line of sight, he desperately needed the comfort of knowing that his witch was safe and that he was there to keep her next to him. THe whole in his heart that was for Laddie was breaking him and to loose her would mean to loose any reason to continue.

Paul met his eyes over the car and a mutal understanding was found as they held each other's gaze. The weight Aserah bore up and did with such power and such grace filled him with the kind of pride he never felt for another person! The monster that loomed like some undead Necromancer of unknown power haunted everything that she did, tainted every moment she had, every smile she wore, every happy laugh she ever let fall from her full lips. The deaths of her fellow witches at the hands of the Froggs bore far harder on her than she led on and she meant to take her vengenace on those who dared lift a hand against those who struggled only for study, for peace, and to help others against forces they did not understand! Dealing with the pain as it grew inside her, the magick making her wait for the gypsy was tearing her apart and unlike the other mates, their oneness made it so he felt it as though it was his own even though she never uttered a single world of complaint. They needed one another, to feel one another, to feel the sinlge being they made together.

Paul needed his strong, near immortal witch to act as his anchor, to hold him in place, to brace against the winds of the searing pain of what his little dude has been forced to endear. In the end it may be that all the boys would have their time alone with the traitorous little bitch that was Star, and if Quin suceeded in his mission, Michael more than even they had the right to have his turn before Aserah turned and joined them completely and left to lead the life he had always longed to. His situation being as it was, he was more than shore the Talamasca would seek to compensate what she had taken from him, enough for him to start a new life with it's own adventures, or to add his mortal gifts to their humble Order and learn the craft, begin the journey of the Great Work, and have his own story to tale before he passed. Begged into submission the cabby gave Aserah the wheel of the car and the beginning of a wild ride began with a serious talk.

"If you would do right by Laddie, you will maintain control, take back your town, and make sure they remember who you are and what you are capeable of. And you'll enjoy every second of it! Every howl you let loose, you do it for him." she spoke. Dwayne grabbed her hand and willed himself to not drawn himself in those emeralds. Squeezing it gently he said "I don't think that will be a problem, Princess," with a half smile, matched by the jesters that were Paul and Marko who gave twin cheshire grins, the kind that only meant one thing, they were out to do what they do best, create absolute chaos! All of them rolled down their windows but the cabby, who was still compelled but the subliminal part of the mind that was telling him he should be afraid for his life had him shaking like a leaf. "What do you say to a little practice, boys?" Dwayne asked them in a devilishtone that had the cabby's face turning into a more depleted, ashen gray color and had spiraling laughter coming out of his Princess. She was the first with her body half way outside the car, driving in a highspeed manor that would make many a race car driver grim with envy and stunt drivers baffled by the sheer nerve! She let out a long winded howl, a rather impressive one that sounded more like a close imitation than simply embracing the Call of the Wild.

He shared a window with Marko, who was small enough to let him have some space and soon they were following their call, getting everything from amused grins to looks of utter horror from the current residence of this town. Some of the children kept out that late howled along with them as they passed by, and he grined with the feel of the wind blowing his long hair back, the feeling of freedom and vitality of life one was given in doing wild things that made them remember that in the end, they were still all kids, really. A long throaty growl like noise came from deep within Aserah's throat, something he wasn't sure she intended or not but it sure as hell got Paul's attention! He pulled back in the car immediately took the back of her seat in a strong hold. "That's it Kitten! You have driven me quite crazy enough! I can't anymore torture, and I invented the game of torture to pleasure! You are mine tonight!" His eyes bled to a more golden hew, unmistakeable look of lust and longing on his face as his eyes caught every fluid movement she made.

A laught spun from her lips causing him to grin and making Paul groan. She reached backed and patted him on the shoulder. Oh relax, do you think I could deny that face! St. Theresa couldn't deny that face! But first, all work and no play makes Aserah a dull girl.. Let's have some fun!" she replied as they hit the Harley Davidson parking lot. She had managed to beat her cousin by 5 minutes which apparently gave her bragging rights for the next decade and as for Dwayne, he just like that smug tug at those lucious lips and fought to get his mind on choosing his next ride. He grabbed her hand. "Come lets get our bikes, the night should still be young when we ride from this place." he said softly and she nodded. Her face already wore a calculated look, scanning rows of multiple choices of very well bilt bikes. As far as he was concerned, Paul could claim his time with her later! He was still reeling from polar opposite emotions of the fate of Laddie and becoming whole again. By the time Mona had pulled out he had pulled himself out of his jealous funk. It wasn't that he resented Paul, it was simply time spent alone with the others was time not spent alone with him. And she as his soul, and he her's, damnit!

To his surprise, when Quin got out with the rest of them his eyes were pealed in a direction no where near the group. Curious about what caught the stoic mannered vamp's rapt attention he followed his line of sight and there he was, dark, curly haired Michael, who did not seem to have aged any more than they had except for the tale tale signs of clothes that ruled the streets of the 21st Century. Mona reached Quin's shoulder. "Now is a good a time as any, darling." she said. He nodded, leaving the group and beginning the recruitment process that if it was sucessful, would deal the greatest blow to the Frogg brothers and evenly more important, Star. He did his part, slowly leading the group out of the Emerson's line of sight and silently wished the other raven harired vampire luck. He had indeed always thought that somethng was up with Michael's very sudden change in behavior and personality, quick enough that even in only days of knowing him, he had been able to catch it. He didn't wish things different anymore, he bore him no more ill will. He was just another unwilling pawn in a game he never wanted to play in the first place.

Knowing now what he did, he could see that all that drastic change was far to fast to have been his reaction to Max's blood alone. It brought out the volatile nature, the inner beast in every woman and man to be sure, but what came out of Michael was something he had not seen the like of before or sense. That utter abandonment of the very things he fought so hard in the beginning of meeting them should have cued them all in that he was not himself. He had a feeling Michael, if he had not wanted it, would not have put his family at risk. He simply would have packed them up, and walked away. Now he would see what would happen when the glamour was taken off and his free will became his once more. Anything he knew of watching him from limbo after all these years is that all his rage would be focused in the tiny form of the gypsy. It wasn't in him to be a killer of mankind, he is more like the gatekeeper when the Barbarians were camped outside the gates of Rome with Alaric. He would make his secret deal and let open the gates, and leave Star's enemies to close in while he went about with repairing the damage one woman had wreaked upon his life.

He hoped he did take that position in the Talamasca, even if he didn't think much of what they had done with Aserah. There was something that boy was meant to do, someone he was meant to meet, and that fate that he saw laying on him in that cave all those years ago was still visable, vibrant, and stronger than the glamour and obesession of one woman. She had only delayed the enevitable in the end. And for her crimes against all of them, the greatest against Laddie, she deserved the very worst of fates, and knowing his witch like he did, she would make sure that she felt everything she made her victims feel while drawing out the pain and the screams. She would pay dearly for what she had done to an innocent child who looked to her for protection! He turned his mind from the heavy price the Emerson family had been forced to play to the manipulation of a witch using magick far to big for her that she had no control over. And the Order would not lift a finger to save someone who willing betrayed her coven.

She tried to make others believe that she did not know what was in that bottle that fateful night Marko threw it to her. But Dwayne had watched her and Paul kept arguing with David silently that this would not end well. That she was far more than she appeared! He knew she knew exactly what they were from the moment she laid her eyes on them, and she knew what was in that bottle and what it would do to her! She had wanted that power, that freedom, that strength against the world, and one look at their leader sent her on a lust filled spiral to use what little she had to manipulate the moment and get what she thought she wanted. But Star did not have the strength to bare the price of Immortality. She was horrified with what it entailed, the monster she would become. Even though Paul had been sure to not sugar coat a single thing, she never believed him. She only knew he hated her and he and Dwayne were the only two she could never manipulate. She never took responsibility for her actions that night. She threw all the blame on them, and when she couldn't find a way to keep the power she wanted and not turn into a vampire starved in blood frenzy, she reacted like a woman scorned and took out her anger on the young kid.

Dwayne always felt a connection to him, and with the blood in the kid's veins from a Native American relative he could very well have been a member of the same tribe, and in everyone's eyes he became his child, his son, and the only light within them all, the only right thing that sense becoming the Lost Boys that they had ever done. To know what she had left him to made him physically sick! Deep down he had always believed that whatever else she was, Star was a lady, there was some decency in her that made her recoil at them but that she would make sure that he was taken to the right places and be taken care of. As he spiraled down the whole a hand went on his shoulder and the unmistakeable smell of the love of his soul, of lives beyond count reached out for him. "Star is going to pay for the lives she has taken, has ruined, and for violating the greatest rule of the craft. She is going to pay in ways that you could never imagine. My Archangel, you and the boys, you know of the things that lurk inside of me. But not really.

Within every powerful Mayfair witch, there lies a Predator. That dark part of our soul that reaches out like the vengeful hand of a pagan god to take back or to turn events to what fate should have been. You and the Lost Boys have only seen the good in the small coven of Aserah Daniella Dellenoix and Damona Eiselle Mayfair, the light in us that led us on this path, to bring back what was stolen, to restore balance, to remove the hand of a witch who plays with things she has no business playing with. But the Predators are going to come out and all of you are going to learn why the name Mayfair and even why the names of Aserah and Damona are so feared. For every crime she has committed, every life she took, and every fate she sought to destroy to hold on to someone who in the end, would not have chose her of his own free will once he saw past what she was, and the file says that Michael's guardian spirits were not going to sit on the sidelines for much longer. For every sin committed against the son of this cousin, she is going to pay the price in full. And when you see all of me, you will begin to understand.

Mona and I were marked for this life a long time ago. And this coven, here, and now." she took his hand into hers and he squeezed it, staring into that gorgeously young face with those dazzling eyes that yet held age along with youth. The mirror image of himself, eyes that had watched the ancient waters rise above the island that started this whole thing. And the end of his story with the woman who reached to far and got burnt and the Priest and Priestess bound soul to soul in all lives, to find only one another alone in every single one, to be as One forever past that though very real love she bore for his brothers and their coven, could never reach past who and what they are. "We all, even Michael himself was meant to walk a path. A important, vital path all his own, connected even as we are to his own half of his soul. All she has done is delay the inevitable. And by doing so she has taken a tremendous price. But you shall witness her payment." and that was when her hands shook.

"Not a single man in this coven will ever let you get away from us, Princess. As you said, to witness what is to come is to reinforce for all of us who you are, what you are meant to be to us, what are meant to be with one another. I am as deeply in love with that powerful primal power, that dark Predator that lurks underneath such a perfect face as I am the strength, the grit, and the elegant beauty which touches you in everything you do, whether it be or simple, or monsterous." she gave him a knowing smile. "I know, but it's nice to hear it, all the same. It is time for the Lost Boys to grow and change, Archangel. Deep down, even Paul and Marko know they have evolved past the Sleep all day, party all night, and reign terror on the town. This shall always be our town, the same as New Orleans will be the homing beacon for the Mayfair's and those of the Lioncourt line. But we have immortality, it is time we spent it on things that matter.

No more feeding just to feed, on some poor passer by unless it can't be helped. I am not talking about being the dark savior of mankind. I am talking about taking out the trash. About finding the predators, predators we can find that will wreak the destrictive path on everything they touch, as Star has, and take them out before they can begin. TO reach out to the Great Ones that would teach us things that not even a Mayfair can imagine about the world. I do not agree with the Brat Prince that we have no place in this world. That is under the belief that there is a set destiny. Fate does rule and always has. But we make our own place in this world. We give our own beings meaning and purpose. It's time to rise and be the Lost Men of the world, to put down the bottles and the teenage behavior that doesn't fit any of you anymore and become everything I know you have it in you to be. And it starts here in our santuary, where it will always be a sanctuary.

Put a leash on the supernatural underground of this town before it destorys itself. Help me become what I was born to be. Intiate Quin and Mona, who belong more to us than the other coven in the first place. And we will start it here, right now, by choosing our bikes and making connections with others who can help us rise out of the rut I know not even David wants a part of anymore." her words saw way past her years and into the hearts of the thoughts he had been having since she had brought them back into the world. It was time for being a Lost Man, as she called it, to actually mean something. They were past the fledgling age of party and then pillage. Even before they had been taken out, it had started to ware thin on the group and they began to long for something more. To become something more. And now with the reforged group they had their one chance to do these things. And he knew that David and all the others whom cued into these words had agreed.

The first thing they were going to do was to secure their base here and make sure that it never was that vulnerable to Hunters again! It was an embarrisment that amatures were able to achieve what they did. After breaking the glamour off Michael and starting him off on his own path, one that lied with a witch with a legacy as dark and long as Aserah and Mona's own, their next quest would be to work with the Brat Prince and anyone else for whom he had to set aside his own feelings of envy to find Laddie. THe connection he shared with his son was so strong that it had not been broken after his 'death'. He knew that Laddie was still alive, and he knew that he was in trouble that was to great for him to be able to pull himself out of. If it meant giving the blonde, violet eyed fiend who inspite of what his witch said, he knew that underneath there was a special interest in her or he wouldn't feel him feeling for her across continants every night. The startling suggestion that on the Mayfair side, in the days the human Lestat walked the streets of Paris and indulged in his falling in love with all the women who adored him, especially the strongest, had him feeling that two connections could be that strong.

She may be connected to the Brat Prince by blood and if found to be true, he would never be able to be out of his presence. He had voiced this concern before and she told him. "We may have a bond, he and I, a bond that won't break. But it is not the bond we share. He is not mine in the way that you are mine, I am not his in the way that I am yours. You have things to learn from him, or not. But he is no concern that should plague you. I want you, always you, and it will always be you. And if I ever have to choose between my life and yours, I will let my go for you everytime. He is a fiendish father to me, and you owe him a debt. If not for his timely intervention, I may never have gotten here and convinced myself out of it. Now because of him I am where I belong, with my hand in yours, waiting to start the first battle of a war that has encompassed more centuries than I care to count.

He will do this because it is something he must do for the daughter he loved more than any other before or after her, though he will never say so to anyone. More than even Louis himself. He will do it to save another from having to be sealed up in blood frenzy in a stone tower with a moon roof to burn. It is his tribute to her life, a way to finally let her go into her next life where perhaps they will meet again. THis one thing he will not look to find some way to cut us out. He knows what you feel better than any other vampire in the world. The only thing you need concern yourself with is the fact that for his love of me and for Laddie, he will insist on checking in. And once you know him, you will realize that he and David are not really all that different at all. Now, lets find us the beginning of our journey!" and taking his hand while Paul sent a wink in both their direction and Aserah shooting him a smirk and blowing him a kiss that made his brother smile and catch it like a base ball and hold it to his heart like a lovesick teenager, exaggerating to pull him out of over analyzing everything, he pulled his mind off of Laddie and the tainted Savior with a Lion's Mane that he had a feeling might get sucked into their expanding world at somepoint as well.

All of the bike's were gorgeous, each with their own single beauty, greater than any diamond and more precious than any gold to him and the wonderful and darkly gorgeous woman at his side. He was looking for something that had both endurance and speed. Beauty was important but like his last ride, he had this strange belief that machines had a soul, and he would not settle for anything less than the bike that had been built to be his bike and his bike alone. It was a traight he shared with all of the boys. Pulling him after something sparked in those dazzling emeralds, his Princess began to follow along the rows, like being pulled by an unseen cord wearing a smile that would have dropped Henry the VIII to his knees and make him beg like a 10 year old boy! Ignoring his libido for once, his heart race picked up. Their connection had him filling that pull, and he kept his eyes peeled in front for the perfect ride that seemed to be guiding his beloved into it's direction.

And the masterpiece that she stopped before had his jaw drop! It was a dazzling beauty, something light weight and built for speed, but unlike the others that had been built for that same reason, care had been taken into building it in the classic style, with hand crafted solid metal made to last for years! The ruby red color caught the eye, and the siren like color he would usually avoid for the flash drew him in like a honing beacon! The chrome shone out, polished and without a single flaw, baffling as the machine was a 2110 gorgeous red chopper and was used! Eyes glowing he looked to his girl who gave him an indulging smile, encouraging hm to straddle the bike, seee how it felt underneath him and it was like a dream! The weight was perfect, the machine itself not overly bulky, it had just the right amount of speed, of flash and style and yet it was understated enough to catch his fancy. He gestured for her to take a seat. "Oh no no, I may do many things for you who carries my soul and my being. But I don't ride bitch!" her comment made him laugh outloud!

The more he thought about it, he realized with girls like her and Mona, they never rode bitch. They raced with the boys! He gave her the smile that was just for her. "I had hoped so. I need look no further, this girl is mine and you need to find your own soul machine." she smiled like a wicked fiend and whistled the sells rep who came running, wearing that plastered smile that had he not been in such a great mood and he was back in the old days he may have just been killed for. But if he was going to sale him this bike and do it at a price that would have him fired later, Dwayne being a master at negotiation and this man not even on par with a Avon salesperson made him appreciate his life a little more than he would have usually. "I want this one and no other. Lets get the papers signed, I'm taking her home tonight and I won't take no for an answer!" inwardly shuckling as his witch put her feelers out to find her own machine.

Dwayne's bike:  . 

excerpt: Mona chooses a ride along with Quin, as does Paul, David, and Marko in the interlude and they are below, as this is a very long chapter, but very needed one and I hope you have the paitence to continue to read it as you need to as their night continues.

Mona's bike:  /3d/3d_harley/3d_harley_ 

Marko's bike:  .  (because real men can ride violet bikes and still scare the hell out of you!

Quin's bike: 

David's bike:  . 

Quin's POV

He was making eyes at a beautiful 2011 Solid royal blue sportster, so engrossed in his own world that he didn't notice Quin's steady approach. He had to clear his throat to get him to look up at him. Whatever of Max's blood was still working in his system it made him recongnize what he was automaticly! There was a panicked look on his face, making him wonder where he found the guts to go against the Lost boys in the first place. He raised his hands up, the universal sign of surrender. "Calm yourself Michael, I am not here to do you any harm." he was given a disbelieving look. "Is that so? Then tell me, what business does a vampire have with me and why would he know my name?" he asked. I am doing a favor for the Talamasca. You know who they are. They were interested in your gift as a natural medium, and your welfare. They still are. A friend of mine named Summer is in charge of your case and has found out something disturbing, something ongoing that is being done to you that you need to know about."

The dark haired man visably relaxed. A sigh of relief sounded out of his mouth. "I had heard they had made an alliance with some of your kind. Here is not the place to talk." he replied. Quin smiled at that. He had done the right thing in invoking the name of the Talmasca. "TO be sure. I was hoping you would be willing to walk with me." he replied. Slowly, Michael nodded. He petted the bike he had been oggling before turning to leave the lot, Quin steering him away from his new coven even as Dwayne kept the group out of eyesight. He really liked Dwayne and Aserah was right, the man was gorgeous! But unlike the rest of the coven, Dwayne had no desire to share. He worshipped his witch and her alone, and even tonight he noticed he was so caught up in her that all the other gorgeous females other than Mona who was a friend didn't even get so much as a glance. Quin of course was rather proud, but still, it was a shame.

They were quiet for a long moment, and Quin saw the beauty in Michael that had enamored and ensnared Star and in turn him, a victim of his gifts because one night he rean into the wrong woman. He could relate in more than one way! It's why he felt he could reach out to him. Michael and him almost had an identical story, only in the end, though happy, Quin still was turned into the monster that he was. He hoped to God and all the Saints he would take his offer. "My name is Quin Blackwood, and when I was human,my gift was like yours. THe kind that puts us on the radar of powerful supernatural predators. Gifts that put us in vulnerable situations, and our enemies and our friends are not always who we think they are." he started. Choclate eyes locked onto his own. "Am I to understand that I am in such a vulnerable position." his voice carried vemon and a warning. "You are, placed there by those you love the most." he replied. He began laughing.

"THough they are friends, I wouldn't put the Frogg brothers in that catagory" Michael said. Quin shook his head sadly. "I do not speak of the Froggs, Michael. You know of whom I speak, have even begun to suspect something. Your feelings are no longer so intense, nor your desire to answer her every whim. The spell's hold is at a weak point, your own desires are clearer to you than they have been in years." Quin continued. A hostile look was now on his face, as he knew it would be. "I don't think I like where you are going with this."he said, a low snarl coming out. "I didn't expect you to like it, I epect you to listen. You owe that much to the people who truly love you. People whom you put in a deadly situation, a situation that could have cost your then 10 year old brother his life. Tell me Michael, that whole time did you spare one thought towards what he was risking, what he was going through, his life, his wefare? When before Santa Carlo you were over protective almost to a falult? Have you spared him even so much as a thught sense he served his purpose?" he could see the rage boiling before he caught his fist speeding towards his head.

"Look at me, Michael." and he defiantly did. "Apare him th thought now. Read Summer's file. Look openly and honestly within yourself and learn the real truth behind you and Star. Do it for yourself! This is not the path you are meant to take! There is another fate for you, another life you are meant to lead, lives you are meant to save and deep down you are beginning to know it for yourself! Read what Summer has risked so much to get for you. Or do you fear to much what you might find?" he said evenly. Michael slowly softened, the blow hitting him like a sucker punch to the gut. Grief filled him, grief over his now dead mother taken by cancer who's funeral he didn't bother to attend because he was to caught up in his wife to be there for his brother when he needed him the most! To get his brother out of a life far to dangerous for him! He saw the wheels turning in those eyes that were just beginning to clear. He took the file and reluctantly began to read. He became more and more disturbed with every ugly detail.

Vulnerable and sickened didn't even begin to cover the thoughts towards the wife that before that moment he had adored as a living goddess for so long! For the first time he saw the Lost Boys in their proper light. David never had meant to harm him or his family! In his own rough way, he was trying to give him the tools to protect himself, to make him belong, to give him a family, and perhaps Max really was in love with his mom, and he had no designs to harm Sam but to take him on as a son, like Laddie. But what put the tears in his eyes was learning of the danger he had put his family in and how he didn't even spare them a thought. He slammed the folder shut. "What happened to me? Why didn't I care!?" his eyes were pleading and scared, confusion pouring out of him, his desperation great enough for Quin to feel it. "Someone cast a specific spell on you, a spell forbidden amongst witches, for it takes away a man's free will, makes it so that his only desire is to please the caster. Your will has not been your own for quite sometime." he replied.

The first emotion was utter shock. He resembled rather closely to Quin someone who had just been shot. He began to tremble, the long burried will struggling against Star's magick. He wasn't even seeing the vampire that was holding him steady. The power of conflicting emotions swept over him completely. But Quin, who knew far more about magick than he did knew it was a battle he could not win. He guided his charge to a bench realizing the very powerful bargaining chip he now had. Soon he would be in the position to offfer the londer a deal, one that he could not refuse. Give to them Star and the Froggs and then, in return, Aserah will break the glamour and give him back his free will and a place would be open for him within the womb of the Talamasca, far away from the seaside town that had taken so much from him.

He snapped out of his musing by a very broken and panic stricken man. "I can't! I can't break the hold? What do I do? Who did this to me?" he demanded. Quin fought the urge to roll his eyes, as the answer was rather obvious. Instead, he put a hand on his shoulder and mastered his features into a look of deep compassion. "The deepest and most painful of wounds are those we recieve at the hands of those who claim to love us the most. Those who carry our blood in their veins, or those who hold our heart. Look within and gather what strength you need to face the truth Michael Emerson. But when you do, don't diservice yourself and languish in denial. Accept it, as terrible as it is, and take the steps required of you that you may remove back your own. It is not in our power to break the spell. And as for who cast the glamour, I think you know the answer. THings don't stop being true because we don't want them to.

You must be brave. You must accept what you know in your heart is ture. And then, you must make allies with those you were used to hurt, to let open the gates, that justice be done. An attrocity has been committed against you, a crim that has one sentence. A witch who betrays her coven must be given over to the High Priestess, and that Priestess is Aserah Daniella Dellenoix Mayfair. They Boys are all returned. Upon news of your sate, they have set aside their hatred and offer you a truce. Not one will left an arm against you on the conditions that you take this offer. Regrain your free ou never knew you had. It will take you far from this town that they never want to see you in again. Regain your will, and take a place within the Talmasca and hone your gifts, reach your potential you never knew you had! Do this and never mention a word about the events that took place here. Slip info when you can, Give them counsel that would lead them to us. The rest need not stain your soul. Hand us the Frogs, open the gates, let Star meet her debt, then enter the Talamasca and get on with that fate that is so important to you and those who need you whose names you do not yet know.

Do this and never look back and we will never harm you or your family ever again. The Lost Men will vanish from your life as though we were never there. But this is the only time I offer this to you. It is not a descision to make easily. But do this and your family, maybe even your true soul mate, might be able to find you and you can rebuild what she took from you. If you do not, Marko will take your life, and not even I will lift a finger to stop him." Michael nodded sadly. Everything he thought to be true had been false. "I need to know something. When David intiatied me..." Quin nodded, he meant to make you belong. TO give you the family you never had, brothers who would protect you and keep you and everyone you love from harm. But that is not the path your life is meant to take. You are a child of the Talamasca, and a green eyed beauty of extrodinary power is in dire need of your help. She fights her own wars against beings that make David look like a choir boy. Those around her use her like their personal servant and she has no one to lean on and no one to help her deal with forces the rest, even the vampire who is her friend, do not understand.

Take the deal and meet your fate bravely.. If you do, we will meet with Aserah and Mona and break the glamour but blood bind you to your word to not directly interfere, deliver the Froggs and Star and then walk away. If you break that blood bond it takes your life that you are just getting back." he took Michael's cell and put his number in it. "Destiny rarely gives us time to consider. What are you going to do?" Quin asked. "Tell them I'll take it. I'll take the deal. We'll set up when to do the blood bond and everything. I want my life back!" there was a life back in those eyes, something that filled Quin with hope for the young man that so much had been stolen from. Something which would bond him to the woman who was his true mate. "I'll wait for your call." and after that he went back to the dealership where Aserah was signing papers for a gorgeous black chopper. Having made an earlier trip Quin picked up his own and the sound of the bikes of the rechristened Lost Men sounded down the highway and onto the Boardwalk after nearly three decades of dreary silence!

He told David silently "It is done. Boy is pissed and when this is over, his destiny lies across the country in a town called Mystic Falls."

Aserah's POV

The bike's lined up one by one, all choppers, Aserah all smiles on her black beast which she would later have put in chrome the name Nocteventus meaning night wind in latin. Her gorgeous onyx chapter felt just as Dwayne described, as a part of your body that calls out to you till you find it, and before then, no other ride will be right for you. And the onyx beauty with the silver flames called out to her like her Patron Bast herself! She immediately and without thinking got on it, Paul right beside it. Beautiful Kitten! That machine is made for you! If only I could show you how you look on that machine... you were right. You never ride bitch! You have to get this one, and then you have to name her." she could clearly see just how exicted this image was making her mate, and with this powerful machine between her legs and the power she could feel from it without even turning on the engine, she could tell that after a night of racing this beauty she would raping her poor Playboy, or maybe vice versa, that look he was giving her was making her a little crazy! Then purchase her I shall, and her name shall be proudly be put in chrome, Noctera.

She wore a proud smile, lust not far from her own mind. He came up, wrapped his arms around her to help her off the bike and pull her to him, he obviously wanted her to know what she did to him, what he intended to do to her later. He gently nipped her ear. "God, I want you, I want you more than I've ever wanted anything! You make me crazy!" she felt every single muscle in that lithe tall frame, and she made sure to mold every curve into him. "Make it worth my while my beautiful Playboy. I don't intend to let you walk anytime soon. But I wish to ask you something." his eyes bored into hers, lust brimming over but yet there was a tenderness there, a yearning that went beyond his carnal longings and towards his desires just to touch her, to be near to her, to be alone where the others couldn't reach him and he could take his time. "You fear to much." he said with a crooked smile that sped her heart up. "My Goddess must be worshipped, to be made mine in everyway I can make you mine. I want you only with me tonight and not a though of any other to even enter into that gorgeous head.

I want your body and I need it, and I need you, hear, feel it." and she reached beneath his jacket for his heart that pounded for a vampire, which meant it was at regular rythm. And everything told her how much he needed her, that the Playboy was now only her Playboy, all he saw was her, all he wanted was her, all he needed was her, to be with her, to touch her, to be inside her, to taste her and make the mark that showed the world that she belonged to him and that anyone outside the Pack that dared even try was dead by default. A silly smile spread across her lips and her eyes lit up. "Then tonight, we will hurry this little bit of fun, and then we will claim the attic, and you will make me yours." she said purring into his ear and smiling at his inner growl. "No, it's more than that. I am going to be Paul and you are going to be Aserah, and I am going to make love to you till the sun rises." he kissed the most senstative part on her neck and smirked when she mewed.

"Now while we did that, your lovely Noctera was made yours." she looked over to David and was blinded by the sight. He was himself again, his gorgeous bike beneath him, his manical smile gleaming from ear to ear, the excitement like electric current drawing all to the ice of his blue eyes. He was a gorgeous fiend, a leader and a man again, and he was riding with the men and women that he adored! The adoring look he gave her almost knocked her over. "I owe you everything, EVERYTHING! I am the leader but you my lady" he kissed her hand "are the undisputed Queen and anything you say goes as if it came from my lips, understood boys?" they all grined like lunatics. "I have something special planed for you tomorrow, My Bird Queen. It's time to know how much I adore you." she gave him a blinding smile before her and Mona shared manic grins and revved the engines. "Up for a game gentlemen?" Mona asked.

Paul looked over at his bestie. "Always my lovely Red! what do you have in mind?" he asked with a michevious look in his eyes. "TIme to play Boardwalk Bowling. Whoever drives the most people towards the most people towards the water wins." she let out a laugh. "Girls! You can't be..." "Addie up or go home Pussy!" Aserah shot him a competitive glare, one that Blackwood could never turn down. "You calling me Yellow Mayfair?" he asked revving his own engine up. "If the shoe fits..." and he laughed. "Alright, game on, but no causualties!" and every single one of them groaned. "I don't believed David died and made you leader, the rules are his call dude." and right then Aserah wished she could kiss her Cherub's cheek! He was adorable when he took down a man a peg or two! She liked seeing this stronger side of him, and she knew that David was surprised and proud of his brother and the change in him. David's eyes glowed a reddish gold. "Right you are Marko! I leave causualties to every vamp's own conscience. But those to squeamish to kill are to squeamish to play with the likes of this lot!" and all at once, they lined up, Mona slightly ahead to sound off the salute.

"Tell me boys, have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?" Aserah asked suductively, making the reaction time of the rest of the vamps but her, Mona, and Quin just a half second slower and giving her a head start. She kept her eyes only on the prize because she almost wrecked when her eyes landed on Dwayne in head to toe leather black and bare chest cut by the gods visably showing and glowing like the rest of his beautiful form under the silver light of the moon. Like her favorite character in Firefly, another 21st must see to introduce them too, the divine and graceful River Tam, she, Mona, and her Boys belonged to the Black. THey were crafted for it, by the mortal lives they had before, by the moments that lead up to now. And for the first time, none of them, not even her beloved brother from a different mother Blackwood, foght against it anymore. Even as she sped like a bat out of hell, she took her brand new status of Queen of the Lost Men to give out the terms. "Winner takes two fold prizes. First vamp to go under camera and declare open season on the Frogg's gets a long, "special evening with the redone Fave with yours truly, the others haveing to provide the wine, rum, and the set up. The runners up however do not go away empty handed. I designed something a little special for my men. Avenged Sevenfold is in town, a band that will blow any other band you have ever heard before out of the water along with the requisite special brownies, baked by Mona and I ourselves."

"I added extra fudge and we splurged on Jamaican Gold!" "Don't fear Playboy, follow the plan and you will be all mine, with Jamaican Gold fudge that is well, made lickable if you catch my drift. I know this is your area of expertise and I have been riding since I was a child. And wouldn't you..." and an image of him claiming her mouth, hard, against the opening of the cave wall shut up even her iternal dialogue. "Shhh, paitence my goddess, paitence!" meanwhile Mona continued. "The looser will be set in the house, tied by steel, policed by Max and forced to watch all three Twilight movies. No breaks, no escapes, and Max gets to have the best practicale joke to play he has had in YEARS! Now, anyman who wishes to cash in his chips and leave the game now will not go under any of these. Continue to ride with us and your fate is in your own hands." and Mona and Aserah howled. They had planned this all day long. Mona knew how much Paul needed his witch, and though her Baby Girl was better at hiding it, she knew it was mutual.

David knew he would have his time last, it was a gift he chose to give his Men after all the time they had lost, and they both knew that when he took her she would know that she was more to him than just a means to an end. But Paul was in love with her, even if he didn't realize it yet. He longed to touch her every time she passed, to kiss her every time they locked eyes. He dreamed of her when he closed his eyes durring the day. He was not what Dwayne was to her, none of them ever could be, but out of them all it Paul was second to his brother in his absolute need for her, for her body, for her heart. He had to know she loved him as much as he did her. It was an insecurity he hid, a dark past that was all to much like her as Mona's own. And she could never deny that electric spark between them every time they touched, that energy, part animal, part carnal, part human. They simply chose a game that they knew that the two who were the greatest on the bikes would win, as she had done when her and Dwayne had to unite their souls to one another.

It was a weird state. She could never tell the others that her soul belongs to Dwayne alone, and his to her, especially not to Paul. But the human heart in her called out to the human heart, the wounded man in Paul who needed to be truly loved. Not seen as something to be fucked and dumped but to be taken, lain down, made loved too, to be made to belong to someone. She would make sure he never felt anything but wanted, desired, adored, ever again. And the man her soul was understood and loved his brother, and would not take this away from him. It was Aserah and Dwayne in all and every life so he felt no ill will towards the stronger and stronger feelings Paul had that he hid all to well. Besides, he had told Aserah that the others needed a night to be them again, and this was just the right set up. He played the game and led the others by faking images that turned into shadows, a gift David did nto know he had. Even so, He and his blonde leader took an even lead after Aserah and Paul, trailed behind by Mona just barely, in fact she was riding David's bumper and he wondered about something.

It was in his eyes, when he thought he wasn't being watched. There was a growing affection for the wild red-headed Mayfair and the pack, but more than that, a strange connection, something that brought the dormant wild in Max out that had not seen the light of day in more decades that Aserah cared to count and it did not feel platonic. It would be fine if it was one sided, but it wasn't. Mona was the kind that could love and give love to many and be in love and bound to all. But Quin had a possesive love over his girl. Something that he knew might lead to trouble at some point later. No doubt they loved one another. But Mona was stronger than Quin, she was wild, free, in tune with the whims of her soul and dancing to the tunes of the stars. She was a natural part of the Pack, like Aserah, as if the wild Mayfair girls always belonged there. But Quin was reserved. Not because it was an skill he learned as it had been with Max that simply became a crutch from a heart broken to many times but because that was who Quin Blackwood was. He loved Mona fiercly, but Aserah was a witch of great power. Uncle Julien had brought them together for a purpose, and when it was served, Mona would loose her Hamlet. But she would gain, in time the man who would make share she never need to lay upon the water lillies.

Quin sought out Michael because he knew that in the end, his path led in the same direction as the Emerson boy. To stop something she does not quite understand, and to find their Priestess's as Dwayne and Aserah found theirs. (That's right I am pairing Mona with Max and Max is about to get back to his roots. Away with the glasses, the middle aged look that does nto belong on the body that belongs to a person who looks like they are in their mid 20's, and our favorite Red Head is going to bring him back to life! I loved the couple of Mona and Quin, but they don't really fit for the long hall. Mona is wild and free and Quin is in his own way exactly like Louis. I may pair him with an OC, with Lucy Bennet, Caroline, or have a tragic but happy end where he reunites with his Grams and Claudia herself guides him to Heaven. ) It seemed David saw it too. He liked what he saw in her, and more than anything, he liked seeing how Max reacted to her. He laughed more. He lost the prep look within a single evening, there was slight flirting that left his Maker's emerald eye's alight like never before.

That night he took his son aside and told him he had his first dreams about her. Nothing overly intimate like it had been with them and their witch, but playful. He had no desire to hurt Quin, though to tell the truth, unlike Dwayne, David had told Aserah he hadn't felt anything about Blackwood one way or the other. He had asked her to do a reading, and make sure neither Max or Mona knew she was doing it. It was a complicated look into fate that would have to follow the cycle of the moon, and the dreams of her soul sister and her Ada would continue. And if his gut was right, Aserah knew just how intimate those dreams could be. So she did the same for Quin and the fate that may lie for him in Mystic Falls. By the time the fate of Lasher and all of them had been decided one way or the other, the answer would not be able to be distubuted. She focussed back on Paul, flashing him a wild grin and let off a lusty growl before taking a high jump and turning a back flip, pleased at her ability to land the difficult manuever that also ended up send four pedestrans diving for the waters.

His eyes lit up and she was caught up in the passion, the adrenaline, the determination in his veins to win, to take his beloved witch away from everyone in the place he considered home above all others. His voice and hers. She would see the side of him the others would never see. He was far more intelligent that he was given credit for. But he got it from his own gifts, sensory, taking bits of information from everywhere while he slept and somehow being able to make it all fit. It was a skill she didn't think even Marious himself could master. Maharet, perhaps. THey broke faster and faster towards the well lit and modernized cave because she felt the desire burn the greater, the need take over. Her heart was taking complete control tonight and it wasn't relinquishing it anytime soon! The camera was reached before they tore up the old trail, all stoping the race to remember what this night was really about.

"Hello boys, did you miss us? We missed you? In fact, we are all here, and we have gifts for you!" the wicked tone in David's voice sent shivers down her spine. Jumping down and only holding her a short moment he couldn't resist a kiss to her long neck. "You have strange desires, my Little Bird. You are in love with the monsters that the dasmel is supposed to be saved from." he nuzzled her. "Never liked Princes. Bunch of pompeous bastards want to rule my life and make me a proper lady, fuck you! I belong to the Black!" she said. "You know I like that. It fits." he smiled before taking Paul's arm and leading him to his lady. Paul's smile, it was one like she never seen before. And it belonged only to her. Only she would ever get to know this one fully and completely. She was honored and overwhelmed. "Shhhh, hush my Kitten. Don't think. Feel. My walls are down, let go of your own. Don't be afraid." and down they came, the good, bad and the ugly. "So strong, my baby. No one touches you, not even then. Let me take away their stain." he spoke silently.

He would take back the night of horror when she burned her parents alive as Marko took back the unspeakable torment of that perfect and sunny school day in Colorardo, 1998. She was no longer scared about how much her boys meant to her. That they were her everything even now. And she wasn't afraid. It was a weight that was gone for the first time she could ever remember. She leaned back into his arms as he took his turn. "You remember her, don't you Star?" as he gave her a lustful kiss and playfully skimmed the top of her shirt she looked up, eyes solid red, no white to be seen. "Of course you do sweety. Or you will. I know what you have done. You have not only betrayed your coven, but the blood of your sister witche's stains your hands as you helped those pathetic Frogs kill them because you were afraid of being exposed for the traitrous slut you are! You knew what you drank that night, you chose to become apart of their coven. And being a witch, even as next to skilless as you, you knew what that meant.

When you betrayed your coven, what did you think was going to happen? That the three fold law just wouldn't find you? That you were to pretty to die? That anyone could protect you? As the High Priestess of this coven, it is my duty and my privilidge to extract the price of your crimes. You will know the pain of your victims, the loss of those you turned into unwitting love slaves, a thousand deaths of the sisters you helped kill. And then you will know the suffering you put your Brothers through, and then you will pay for what happened to Laddie, every rape, every punch, every tear he ever cried, they will be all yours to cherish. And then I will do what you never had the guts to do. I will take your blood, I will finsih the transition, and I will leave you to rot in Hell with vampire teddy, how rude of me to take his new favorite toy away!" she gined.

"Terribly rude Kitten. He has been so excited! Be glad she takes justice and not vengeance, little bitch. This time, there are no secrets. No daytime to hide behind. Not one single Hunter or witch or the order you in your stupidity pissed off are going to lift a finger to help you when we take your little gypsy into her cage and then make her watch us drain you of your pathetic existance. I wanted to burn you, but David has a thing about things going full Circle and overkill. And when you are gone, We are going to have our witch wreathing in pleasure in your blood." even the threat had him pressing harder against her. She shuddered back and he held her tighter. "He adores you as much as I." he whispered in her ear and made her smile that smile that was just his. Turning from the camera it was time to dally up and as imagined, they had won. She took a look at the now turned off camera. "It's a shame. I thought about giving them a show..."

Paul laughed with her soon to be followed by the rest. "I do love a kinky woman, but not just this time. But when we have them in the spot they tried to destroy our lives, I think it's a perfect idea. Only I won't be alone." he winked at Dwayne over his shoulder and she shuttered in shear pleasure. "Alright, alright, wait till we are out of eyesight! Here are the tickets David. Quin, I'm sorry honey, but you and Marko shall be forced to endure Twilight, and don't even try to run, I got Max and our child retriever who will be speaking to us tomorrow on stand by!" and that was when he walked with her towards the waters. She knew he had no love of the Brat Prince, because he was to much like himself but with godlike power and she did adore the violet eyed vamp, but fancying him, ugh, just no! "I have a surprise for you I left out." she said with a smile. "Oh?" his eyes lit up, and never once left her. "We have a moment before they supply our winnings. Meanwhile, I would like to lie in those rather nice arms and utilize electricity in that lovely home of ours by watching Casablanca."

"And how did you know?!" he nearly squealed. "Max told me, but only me. The boys will think I made you watch it. Your ego is saved." he pulled her to face him. "I adore the ground your feet graces." and those gorgeous blues bored into her own, and happily and willing she dwowned in their depths, tracing the side of his face with the lightest of touches as he couldn't stop stroking her hair. "I could loose my life in those eyes and die a very happy death. As long as you would let me." he pulled her against every curve, every muscle. There weren't words for him in that moment. His gaze deepend. "Tell me what you want of me Goddess." she knew he had never meant any question more in his life. "All of you, this wordless beauty, the wild man, the beast, the darkness, the light, the wisdom, the fun, the fighter, the peacemaker, that smile that bears your heart to me, that is only mine and mine alone, that body you wish to give, truly give to me, that you have never really given to another. I want you, all of you, in fact, want is not a sufficent word. I need all of you. But can I have all of you?" he pulled her in for the most passionate kiss he had ever given her, every filling flooding through her mind like a hurricane, like a caress, like an assurance.

Her breasts were thrust against him now, curves molded in a way that held back nothing. This was no longer playtime. He pulled back with a gentle peck and she did, she saw the tears. "Tell the others you saw these and I'll deny it." she laughed while she wiped them away. Was that a yes Paul?" she teased. He flicked the back of her head. "Of course it was! I needed to know. I know what you have with Dwayne is beyond us. I won't fight that, and I couldn't if I tried. But I needed to know that you belong to me too!" she pulled his arms around her from behind as they walked towards the bluff. "Forever and Always, Playboy. If you didn't know I love you, well I am just going to have to convince you aren't I?" her retort made him laugh. "I certaintly won't protest. Especially if that offer of rape is still good." "Oh it is, especially after that display. You've been holding out on me!" he laughed sofly.

He couldn't make himself stop touching her, caressing her soft skin, to run a hand through a silkin trindril. When she led him to the renovated Cave his jaw dropped to the ground and she wore a proud smile on her face. "Amazing! you acutally managed it!" he breathed. "Aye, and tomorrow if you don't object, the others shall move in." and he laughed again. "My devious minx!" he teased as he walked in, noting a fully restored everything, the tell tell signs of the Earthquake still clear but the return of the posh, upscale turn of the century furniture blended with modern technology blew him away. She took his hand and pulled on it. "Not done yet, you got to see your room!" she said. He pulled her to face him. "Later. Now it's you, me, and everyone's favorite gangster." she squeeled as she pulled him along with her onto the most comfortable of blankets he ever came across. She hit a remote and a small fire started far away. "Every girl wants to have her time in front of a fireplace" she explained when he covered them up and pulled her tight against him.

She started the moving though they barely saw it. "I'm sorry my beauty but your neck diefies all my logic and the ability of thought." he said as he open mouth kissed her pulse point again.

Paul's POV

Her mews were making him crazy! He had an idea this was sensitive but he couldn't think, all he wanted was to hear those soft cries, the warmth of that curved tiny body curled against his, and he wanted more than to just take her. He wanted to hold her there, protect her from the world that had already done it's damage. Whenever he traced a scar on her shoulder he traced it with his lips, wanting to take away the memormy of the pain it once had brought her. He couldn't believe it actually happened but he was madly in love with her, and even if he had to share his mate, he would do it a thousand times over just so she would be his. She saw past what the others did, the facade he wore, to the man he really was and why he became the partying manwhore. In fact she told him to keep both parts, just be her manwhore, which he rewarded as was proper. If the boys didn't hurry up he might do something horrific to them though! He wanted nothing, needed nothing more than to touch her, taste her, take her, move inside her and hear his name fall from those rose lips over and over again, to cry out in that most beautiful of voices.

Finally it was Marko who stuck his head in. He laughed at the pure nostalgia while Cherub boy marvled at Kitten's work! "You are amazing!" he said in an awed tone. "She is, and we thank you but please, Marko." his tone was begging but Marko gave him an indulging grin and left fast, something he would be sure to reward later. She opened the rum first, took a swig, before grabbing another special bottle. "Now, your aid if you please." he grinned and pulled her back as she sat up, unbuttoning the choker, after wich a liquid came out that dulled his senses that she ran up and down the length of her neck to her shoulders and along the color bone. "Dark chocolate, kinky indeed." but just the right kind. He let her pull off his jacket and his shirt, afte which he laid her on her back and at first just stared, in awe.

She pulled him down to her lips by his own necklace, grinning into a deepening kiss, one that grew heated and intense in a matter of seconds. As much as he loved the thought, nothing taste better than her. He wiped her off. "No baby, I just need you. Nothing tastes like you!" and after another softer peck he kissed her deeper, slowly pulling at the strings of the corset, teasing fingers running across thin fabric. She was rather insatiable and that made him a very happy man indeed! As the corset pulled apart he slowly used his hand to caress upward, and she took a finger and the way she had with those nerve endings had him mewing just as she did! Finally it was gone, and his gazed over he from in worshipful reverence. "No woman is or ever shall be more beautiful than you he whispered, kissing up her stomach, unhooking the front of the bra to show perfect breasts, round, large but not cartoonish, with pink hardoned nipples staring up at him, begging for him, and he was nothing if not a gentleman after all!

He raised up and took her mouth and powerful as she was, strong as she could be, she submitted to his beast, it meant more to him than she could ever know. The vampire inside worshipped her now as much as the man. He pulled back and got lost again in those emeralds. "Tell me your mine!" he growled softly. Her eyes were solid red. "Yours!" and he praciticly purred to hear it in that husky tone, the smell of her arousal making him crazy, calling him to posess her entire and whole. But instead he lowered his mouth to her first nipple, and the vampire took over, just a slight hitch when he bit but no fear, in fact the screams he got were from pleasure and when he licked away the blood an watched it heal he smiled a wicked smile. "Definately my girl!" he said, teasing said nipple, kissing her longingly, exploring every part of a mouth that tasted of merlot and strawberry and rum and every spice he ever dared and loved. He bit the other a bit more gently, he wanted to make love to her, not fuck her, not tonight!

When he raised up and she tried to flip him and pended her wrists in a strong hold above her head. "Not tonight. This is for you, Kitten. We have eons to explore other things. Let me make love to you, please!" the need in his voice and she caved, the look in her eyes and he was hers. Other beautiful women just would never be as fair, as stong, as lovely as she. He kissed down, smirking when her back arched when he reached the panty line. Already soaked, he licked the line before tearing them down with a devil's smile. And he tasted his fill, over and over, her calling his name out like an Angel of the Lord again and again, going deeper, but not fucking her with his tounge, but lapping, massaging, rubbing her clit with his thumb making her whole body shake. And finally neither one could stand it anymore. "Please, Please Paul?" she begged. He rose up, both delightfilly tipsy having drank all the wine. He ran his thumb along the line of his stomach. "Tell me what you wish, Kitten." he ordered. "I wish you to take me, make love to me!" eyes widednd slightly act the lick of those lips he complied immediately placing his body over hers and his eyes never shutting, never leaving hers.

He entered and she was so tight, like she was made to fit him. A little moan encouraged him to move at a slow place, but it was a deep pace. He wanted one with his Kitten, to be one thing with her! Her eyes never ever left his, nails trailing gently up and down his back. "I love you Aserah, I needed to wait for this, I needed you to see it, because of who I make myself out to be, but feel me, feel me inside. My heart and my body, I'm yours!" she raised up and kissed him deeply and he pulled her close to his now pounding heart. "I love you Paul. I love Paul the Lost Boy, I love Paul the man who need never hide from me" and he kissed her heart at that before looking back up. "I love Paul the Vampire. And my heart and body is yours too!" and he was over the moon, in fact there were no words. They climaxed together not long after, and then were at it again not long later, and remained so for the rest of the night till Aserah turned the fire out and they went back in were the sun could not harm him and she set a seal of Solomon around them that no one would have the power to touch them.

I know this is a long chapter but it's worth it! I'm getting a bit better with the romance smut. It will get better with them all as we go on with the tales of the Lost Men and the seperate tale where Michael will nolonger travel alone to Mystic Falls. Don't hate but I liked the idea of making Max remember who he really was through Mona, and for Quin, as much as he loves her to realize he doesn't understand her and needs like Michael to find a niche of his own.


	11. A Salute to the Return

**Chapter 11: **A Salute to the Return

This is going to be a longer chapter, as Aserah and Mona go through the ritual of Calling the Corners in order to break Star's glamour on Michael.

After learning the horrible truth about his and Star's relationship, Michael agrees to the Lost Boy's terms and she and Mona, alongside the men he had wronged, reverse the spell and break the chains set about his free will, forming a crush and a new bond of friendship with Aserah. (he will need it later, in a big way!) He contacts Sam for the first time in years to learn his brother is already in the Talamasca and long past his hatred for the Boys. His brother puts him on the fast track to enter the Order, as a desperate mission that needed a man of Michael's talent is forming in the town of Mystic Falls.

Revenge is sweet

but justice is sweeter still

turning against the puppeteer's till

finding lost freedom by turning against those who steal

and meddle in matters not their's on which to creep.

Enemy becomes liberator

in a twisted life when those closest take

who steak, pillage, and rape

and the monsters give back what was taken away

turning back the wheel and making his will secure.

Hatred dies in understanding

his misgivings die and the redemption begins

when with a zeal he seeks to repay for his sins

and the world of grey becomes that where he prefers to live

and a threat becomes the gate to greater things.

-A Salute to the Return by Makilome

Michael's POV

Ever since the new, strange raven haired vampire met him, he had read and reread his file, going over and over again when things began to change, when he began to change. When putting the life of his family in danger mattered less than having Star in his arms. That ringing voice, speaking truths that had finally got through to him when no one else could. But the power of the spell was still inside him, he could feel it now, molesting and enslaving him into his wife's perfect pet. And after hours of wondering he did something he had not done since moving to this place. He bent down in the sand, before the crashing waves, not far off from where he knew they were, with the rennovations going and making their presense there clear as the noonday sun. He drew a pentegram with his finger in the sand and sat in the middle, channeling the solar energies of everything, especially the water and the sun into him.

"I have not spoke to you in a long time. There are chains upon who I was, who I am. Spirits, I have to know how it happened, when and how? I need you to show me if this Quin speaks the truth. And if it can be broken. Take me back, show me what my wife has done." and then there was winde off the ocean and he opened his eues into the night. He could barely breathe when he saw his mother there. But before he could even begin "I knew you were not yourself, powers like ours comes from lines, my son, and your father and I have the blood of the Ambrose line. We fall from a great and power witch named Esther. You do not yet nor did you have the power to break a spell bound in life's blood, a story for David to tell you, who is not the monster she painted him to be. Now take my hand, I am going to show you the moment you lost yourself." wordlessly still staring at Lucy in shock and gripping her tight he instead wrapped himself around her, something she allowed, caught up in herself before pushing him back and forcing him to take her hand. It was like going into a time machine! All of modern Santa Carlo was gone, and the town was exactly as it was when he first saw it, feeling something off.

He looked around bewildered, those walking by not even seeing them. It was like the vision quests of his youth when he walked through echoes of events but a thousand times stronger. Lucy chuckled. "With age and training comes more power my son. THis is stronger because you hold more power, power the vampire released when he spoke with you. He didn't lie when he said he was once like you. And another bolsters you because she deplores glamours, most Mayfairs do. But that is a friendship not yet built." as she talked they moved towards the stage, and he had the eerie feeling of watching himself, at first enjoying time with Sam before being hit by annoyaqnce, not even questioning the sudden change in himself. He watched himself be led, as if by an invisable cord, foward, dropping the food in his hand and moving towards the then young Star. And it clicked as soon as they made eye contact and his spirit form saw the wound near her wrist. "She saw you with Sam when Dwayne tried to get her to watch Laddie the night before.

They knew he was not ready and wanted him to have a chance to grow up and make the decision on his own." pain and anger stuck his heart. She had lied about Laddie and then dropped him at the first convience, him doing and feeling nothing. "Seh fell the second she saw you. All her plans, knowingly becoming half to boost her modest abilities, changed. All she saw or wanted was you. But follow you and try as she might, you only cared about Sam, and your night with him after all the pain your father caused him. She couldn't stand that you didn't see her! So durring the day, she channeled and bound your powers together and sealed it with nearly all of her vampire blood. And then, this night," anger and sadness chocked him up. He couldn't speak, caught in the whirlwind, for a long while as the scenes continued to play and he had seen enough. They wandered slowly back to the beach. "Will they honor the deal? Break the glamour, see the dept repaid, and let me leave?" he asked referring to the Lost Boys.

"They'll do you better. The Mayfairs intend on setting you in the womb of the Talamasca, and there, my son is where your true destiny shall truly begin. I can't make this decision for you, only that if you decide to help them, they will not break their word, on a blood oath of their own blood." they had re-entered the Circle. Michael holding her one last time. He didn't have to tell her what the decision would be. He woke to the sun, broken, angry, but stronger then he had been in more years tha he cared to count. If with the Order his future laid, to the Order he would go, but first there was work to be done, and he had to become the consumate acter, become the very thing his so called wife despised, a regular pied piper leading his less than innocent lambs to the slaughter. The Heavens were just going to have to forgive him for enjoying it. He did owe the Boys, they gave him vegeance and freedom with one fell swoop. He got up, closing the Circle, still shaken but resolute. As he walked back he smirked when his cell rang. It was a number he hadn't seen in far to long! "Sam! I have a hell of a secret to tell you!" he said, suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of freedom.

"You are not the only one with a gift in this family. I got a call today from someone highly influental in Order circles by the name of Giana Mayfair. Tells me you are set to be offered a position in a specialized unit. My unit, called Shields of Sparda who have a more hands on approach with supernatural situations. After being assigned to me, I felt something snap, something I haven't felt since Santa Carla, can you guess what that was?" the teasing tone had him laughing. "Saw all of that did you?" he asked. "Like you or mom could ever keep anything from me! Suckers, the lot of you!" being in England had drasticly changed the way Sam's voice sounded and the mixture of that Californian accent with the English made him giggle. He was deeply relieved to know he hadn't lost him forever. "Take the deal, Mike, but make it with Dwayne and Aserah,between them they have enough power to see to it the others keep it. Star has a dept to pay, and those who murder witches deserve their fate. I could use you. There is a delicate situation in Mystic Falls that needs someone of your talent and restraint."

Something clicked deep inside at the name of that town. Like the feeling of being picked back up, set back towards his fate. "I intend on it, and I won't deny that I'll enjoy it, after everything I have lost, I want to build something. and that town, or a power calls and reaches out for me. But don't think for one second I'll be calling you boss!" he snarked. "Wouldn't dream of it. Now, we have work to do so wrap things up there quickly. Your flight to Oxford will be set for three days ahead of time and you shall be identified for your ticket for under the Sheilds of Sparda password." he wondered where his brother had found some much confidence. He could tell he had become accustomed to leading since his own Awakening and his recruitment into the Talamasca. He had missed so much of his life the fact he was willing to not only forgive Michael but be so loving towards him filled him with hope. Hope that the future about to placed back into his hands would be a bright one. Santa Carla held no place for him. He didn't realize it then, but the seaside town always had and always would belong to the Lost Boys. They were the spirit and the heart of the place, with them back he was sure it would know it's glory days onece more that their bikes raced the Boardwalk again.

"I am itching to get the hell out of this place. I owe you Sam!" he said. "Yeah, yeah. Just don't fuck it up and place yourself under Aserah's and Dwayne's protection till its done. Quin has small influence and the others are indifferent. And not a word about the Unit to those not given the green light. A bastard of a Original of another vamp species named Mikael has ears all over the place and loves to either torture and or enslave my people." his warning sent a shudder down his spine. TO know the Boys were down right saintly in comparison to others out there both distrubed and thrilled him at the same time. "Will do. Just be sure to watch your ass in New Orleans, alright?" he said. THe Forggs spotted him there, apparently oblivious to his reasons. Well, he wold help make sure the borthers would never again be murderous threats to the supernatural community. "I am, not unlike yourself, surrounded by powerful witches, particularly our new recruit who carries Bennet blood in the veigns. I am as protected as anyone can be.

Get back to work soon. I want you out of there and away from that crazy bitch as soon as possible! Any punishment that she gets is to good for her in my opinion. I gotta go, we'll be in touch." when he hung up, he found the strength to do what he knew needed to be done. He was to the door, the now frequent accurance of Star's screamed still set off concern, but he was wise to what feelings were artificial now. He took a long deep breath and then busted through the door, mastering his feature into those of profound concern. He wrapped his arms around the now frail and shaking woman. Knowing now the cause of her madness, part of him wished he could see how the dark haired witched upped tha anti. "they're here, Michael! THey've come back for me!" he resisted rolling his eyes, knowing they had come for their witch, she was simply designated first meal. "Shhh... baby listen to me." he said while rocking her. "I called the Froggs, they are coming straight here. We got a lock on them from a video they arrogantly sent. We beat them once, we'll do it again. she pushed him, her dark eyes filled with madness.

"No, not this time! THey are more powerful and smarter, allies more powerful still. THis time, they won't make mistakes. Anywhere we go we'll be found. THey come for vegeance and we won't be able to stop it!" he looked back, amazed at how he had been taken in for so long! "then we don't go down without a fight! We won't go into the night quietly. We make our last stand." he said evenly, happy when her manic eyes lit up. "Yes, of course! A stand of good vs evil, that will bring others to pick up the torches!" and like that, her willingness to marck him into death instead of telling him the truth made his task all to easy. Next it would be the Froggs, and then, this very night, Aserah and Mona would break the glamour, and in turn, he would see to it everything and one was in place. Then he would never see this hateful place ever again!

Aserah's POV

Things had gone beautifully in the brutal assaults she waged against the gypsy's mind. Gaven had called her that day, telling her when the Frogg brothers had landed in LA and where they had reserved a room. THings moved quickly now that the dominoes began to fall, something that filled her with releif. But she wasn't nieve enough to believe it would be easy. Lasher would pull ou all the stops to make sure she did not complete her transition. Any second extra she could get ahead would be like a life saving one. She had also used her target to look in on the recently recruited Michael and was relieved and impressed. There was much more to him than she imagined, and he took to his new role of double agent with the zeal of a man wronged. He was going to make the crucial difference that would perhaps, with luck, get things rolling far to fast for Lasher to act. She had no llusions to her chances, if she should finish her transformation before he reached her it would stop his plans in their tracks but did not guarentee the outcome of the final showdown. What if he moved on to the Bennett line, that had 3 currently available and sufficently powerful witches on which he could lash. No this started with the Mayfairs, and it needed to end with the Mayfairs. The Bennetts hand their hands full with the Originals!

It did however increase her chances and the closer she got to all her mates the stronger and more powerful she became. Each consumation sealed the fated bonds. But the most important was the first and the last, Dwayne was more than her mate. THe connection they had was one that was beyond time. Two pieces of the same soul, it was a relationship and a love that was stronger than death, one forged in another life, in ancient times in the raging fire and roaring water. It reminded her of Ashlar's tale and Atlantis. It could very well be a select few humans shared the island home, and if that were true, it may be that her Eternal Lover had his own connection to the horrid being who's pride brought down the wrath of the gods and destroyed almost all of his race. She needed him, that fundlemental knowledge of knowing her better than everyone except the Creator Himself, she needed his strength, the force of watching as so many of his people die, it wasn't in him to be a leader when he felt responsible for leading those he loved to their deaths. She understood, and also knew why he didn't openly display his power around the others.

David was a good leader, one who had been able to rectify a terrrible tragedy, Dwayne wanted him to not doubt his role because he was not the most powerful. As she grew older, she would likely make the same choice, even though age and constant study would advance her abilities, she understood that being a powerful individual did not make someone a powerful Davis was every inch of a powerful leader. He commanded not only through fear, but also the respect and the love of the entire Pack, and respect for him spread now thoughout the supernatural world after his international trek. He was calculating, cunning, and intelligent. TO cement her place was to be with him, to unite the power of the Pack. But there was more to it. Gangs was beautiful, decisive, and strong. A tower of strength she needed lean on as the horror of Lasher sough to consume her and swallow her whole. His logical mind that had learned the invaluble lesson of how to act only with one's mind in even the most desperate of situations would be a gift that could very well decide whether she and Mona lived or died.

And this particular evening, her need of him was made double as his desires and needs bled into hers. She spent her last few minutes before thy rose thinking about how she intended to go about dragging him off and having her way with him, like she had with Paul. And that lovely memory flushed her and filled her with lust. She never imagined just how good her Playboy could be! THat he could go ough and passionate, but was still attentive, reading every single desire before they even registered. And playful, he teased to the point of pain before he consumed her entirely, drinking in every sensation he caused like it was blood! And Marko... he had been gentle at first, but as she made him feel safe he had plowed deeper, went harder. Made her scream in the mind blowing ectasy of whn pain and pleasure in equal measure take you over the edge! He worshipped her, like she was a goddess, and his awe at her abilities, his unshakeable belief in her gave her the strength to continue the fight. His belief would be the thing that would make her rise everytme Lasher knocked her down. His raw strength and sheer nerve would help her be decisive.

And Dwayne, there were no words! No one made her feel the way he did, no one ever could! Dwayne went beyond love making. He possessed her whole and entire, her soul soured only on his wings. Her soul was his, her very being belonged to him. TO be in his arms, to surrender herself whole and entire, to marvel at how every touch, every kiss went such thought, such devotion, his absolute skill and even his dominance sent her to planes she didn't even know existed! When she made the concious decision to give him her virginity, she knew exactly what it mean to vampires. It meant their bond came before all the others. She was the mae to them all, but in the end, she truly belonged to him alone. Without them, she would have lost everything So lost in her thought it took a voice in her ear to bring her back to the current moment. "Good evening, Princess. You fear to much. Quin came through for us. Emerson is going to gift wrap and tie a bow on our foes before he meets his own destiny, and we will see you transition before that piece of shit can stop it." the soft open kiss to her neck had her leaning back as he snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him.

He bit, but it was so very gentle, loving. THe intimate aste he took made her purr. His control was quite clear. But independent as she was, his dominate side did not anger her like anyone else would. He had profound respect and never underestimated just how powerful she really was. He needed to know that she was his, that she belonged to him utterly, especially after she had been with another of the Pack. It was a reassurance that she would willingly give. And that growl did unspeakable things to her, making him chuckle. "I love the sound of your moans and what you let me do to you, my Priestess!" she pulled closer and he tightened his hold. "I'll protect you, I swear it! I won't let you die." she felt how disturbed he was at the very idea! His deep need of her felt so strong it consumed her. "We have a chance now. Alot more than I ever had sets everything into motion. I have to drop Lasher, for now. Which brings me to what I need to speak to you about. Michael is vital to us now. We can't allow anger to take away our largest asset. I have to make the gransformation, tomorrow night if I an, so it s to fast to be stopped. He makes that possible." her eyes lit, knowing exactly where she was going.

"You want him under your and my own protection." he said. She smiled and noded. He placed a kiss to her temple. "I don't hold the guilt of what was done under glamour over him. Unless he tries to go back on his words, I see no reason to object to that. Before I unt is there anythng you or Mona need to break the glamour?" he asked. "Just meet us at the Cave when it s time for him to swear and be careful! he smiled at her concern. "I shall be. You are not going to lose me." he said reassruringly. "I had better not, because the next time I have to bring you back I will be forced to kick your ass from Santa Carlo to Japan and back again! she teased. "And I'll enjoy every last second of it!" he countered, causing them both to laugh. "Alright, off you go, time is waisting and Mona and I have much to do to break a spell this strong. Blackwood will call you when its time for you to be at the Cave. And take all the strength you can, we are moving into the Cave tonight." she couldn't wait to see their reaction to what she had done with the place, now modernized and enlarged by digging into the ground and creating an earthen staircase leading to the rooms for Mona, Quin, and Max. Everyone had their own notebook labtop and there was a start of the art stereo to take the place of the old Rock Box that could be hooked up to David's entertainment center.

"I really have missed it. When we will truly be home again You have no idea how much this means to us!" he replied. "Don't I? I'll be home, with people who love me and are willing to fight for me the first time in my entire life. It is you and the others who do not know how much what you give means to me." he placed a soft kiss on her lips." "We take care of what is ours, Princess. Always have and always will." she closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying his nearness and his possesive strength. Before he departed he gave her a slow, smoldering, all consuming kiss that was 100% Swayne. Not long after Mona came in bearing her Grimmoire and Aserah's Book of Shadows. Behind her came David who carried the duffle bag she had filled with items, herbs, and utensils she charged and channeled energy into during the day. He exaggerated the weight. "So how many households did you manage to fit in here?" he commented. "Oh don't be a baby! You are the bad ass super vamp, I don't think a medieval village weighs you down that much! Besides, I have every intention on making your efforts worth your while." she said with an exaggerated wink and a swing of her hips.

His eyes darkened and she didn't think any female could deny the raw lust that man could inspire when he was feral! It awoke and teased her wild side. He set down the bag and grabbed her by the hips. He moved in close, sending shivers down her spine by the closeness of his lips to her neck and her ear. "Just so you know my Little Bird, by the end of tonight I'm going to make you scream and forget your name! I will drive you mad and then I am going to ride that beautiful body till the first light of dawn! " he whispered, deliberatlitly tempting that wild side and making her legs shake. "Now that's more like it!" Mona proclaimed with a jestor's smile as David pulled back and smirked. She hooked her fingers into the belt loops of his jeans and kissed him hard and passionate, devouring him like a starving person who had been given a prime rib and drawing blood she lapped up eagerly by biting his lip. She pulled back out of need fo rair and felt rather satisfied to see his yellow eyes and vamped out face

He rested his head against hers. "You me me crazy! If I am going to catch a meal or three I need to go now, or I am going to take you right now on this counter top!" and many lovely images she looked forward to living crossed her mind. She gave him another softer kiss. "If you must but don't hold out on me later! I shall not be showing you mercy. I am goin g to ride you long and hard and you will be walking bow-legged for a week!" he gave her a sedictive smile before turning to the subject at hand. "You have no cause to fear my reaction to Michael. As long as he keeps his word and serves his purpose I will not so much as touch a single hair on his head and I will keep the others harming him if I must. Be strong and don't provide Lasher any windows. If ti goes well, you will be a fully and newly made Lost GIrl before that son of a bitch can do anything about it." hop flared with the addition of the blazing fire of her rage and hatred that beyond evil Lasher inspired in her heart. With her turning a fatal blow would be struck, weakining his hold over her and providing she and Mona with the ability to cast the demented Taltos into the void, and this time no one was left to give him the chance to return.

THere would be no coming back, and that ancient race that had not ability to continue by reason of sterilization would be allowed to die out as they should have done when her bitter foe and his lackies brough down the wrath of the gods upon their island home. "Be careful and watch your back. You and the others are all his targets for your connection to me and snatching away the last womb that can bare Taltos offspring." she siad, worried about the lengths Lasher would willingly go to so that his designs not be irrevocably compormised. His eyes were thoughtful and his bearing softened, those mesmorizing blues boring into hers. "Nothing is going to rip me away from you Aserah. I wil not allow it. Beleave in the strength we all share, in the collective power we hold. We will beat this, tonight will start the beginning of his end. Hold onto that and pull out anything in your mind that does not have anythng to do with the task you and Mona will carry out. I'll be waiting for Quin's call." he kissed her forehead before letting her go to catch up with her Archangel and the others who were already on the hunt and leaving her and Mona alone.

"I am still going to indulge my preversions and watch the both of you. You realize that?" she rolled her eyes at her cousin but couldn't stop the urge to giggle. "Work beofre play Queeny Red, work before play. We need to get going if we want to make it to the Cave on foot and in time." she picked up the duffel bag that David set down, placing in the books before zipping it up and slinging it across her shoulders while Mona bore both of their swords. Before leaving the kitchen they created an opening to the spirit world to better and faster call upon the power of their patron gods. THey called Quin who had met Michael in the overly large cemetery of Santa Carlo, and told him to start on their own way towards the Cave. The nervous excitement of teir new ally was obvious from what she could hear in the background. His sincerity, his need for revenge was clear as the day to her. He was the Roman that let open the gates to the Visigoth King Alaric. He was not going to stain his hands with the blood of those who betrayed him, but he was going to make sure that the Froggs and his so called wife met their just deserts and would not lift a single finger to help them when their killers would go in got the kill. Her and Mona laved their hands together and united their power into a single force to be used as a hammer to break the chains that bound up his free will.

They built on it by taking energy of the things around them, causing a hum of magick that vibrated underneath their skin. THey moved slowly, giving the due respect to the gods as tehy sent forth the call that would bring down their aid. She felt the unmistakeable though invisable presense of gods and spirits alike, sending the wind and cold that sent mind numbing chills and blowing their hair back from their necks that did not reach past the two of them. They chanted in unison in Latin an ancient prayer tha belong to and was never used out of the Mayfair family along with an opening spell as they rang small bells in their hands. "Liberamdebere asse, quod ad heesit, in dubos unum. Renovare spa firmendu animus in animam inimicorum ejus servo. Amplecar misericordium gaudium Patre, in labe detersa, diaboluque ecrca opera et omissione: adivuat le eripiar e certevis consilius hostum. Amen." they spoke.

In unison they pulled out rosaries just 1,000 years younger than the Mayfair line. They had been relics, directly connected to the story of the ancient Ashlar, who's hands made them when he took refuge in the Catholic CHurch just as the world descended into hell in the wake of the great Scourge, the imfamous Black Death that led to the slow deadline in their temperoral power. THey hummed with the foreign power of their race and the righteous power of the saints they invoked, one for each of meditations for the day; Saint Christopher fo potection; Sant Frances of Assissi for the invisable energies that determined the physical world and invoking the power of Nature to break the unnatural binds that oliviated free will; the Archangel Michael for the righeous and creative fire to burn away the stains on Emerson's soul for acts committed under glamour, Soul Peter the Apostle who's God given power could release and or behind at the 7 Heavenly Gates and so it would be leased or bound in Heaven; and the Virgin Mary through the awesome power she exudes tempered with a mother's mercy to God's CHildren with the protective authority over those devoted to upholding those virtures she holds dear and the revelation of the power of the Son is seen through the invercession of prayer birthed of great and True Faith from a soul both humble and without blemish or stain of original sin.

They invoked powers more ancient still, Bast the goddess of the Void and Keeper of the Balance to lift the block of Michael's own gifts; Anubis the faithful Guardian over the spirit worlds and guide to mortal souls to snap the gypsy's strong hold over Michael's Higher Self and return him back to the destiny and path he was meant to take; Isis the Mother of Magick, goddess of Life and Death and Champion of the down-troden and enslaved to sever the ties that set Star as Michael's mistress and set him as her slave who's will he had no ability to oppose; Horus the god of Vengenace and Champion for those who suffer grave injustice invoked to fight for his rights to choose his own path, to see to it the boys hs the ability to make sure the author of the grave sins against him meet their proper judgement; Kebechet to purge the magick and purify his mind from her influence; Thot the god of knowledge and Balance to restore the original soul and the natural state of who he is an individual; Serqet the Scorpion Goddess, the Patron protectress of Old of Merrick's split in the Mayfair clan for generations whom Mona and Aserah took as their own to protect them from any interventions or attacks against them, the Boys, or Michael either by Lasher or by some strange twist of fate the gypsy's magick itself! ; Osris to destroy any power or control over Michael and banish Star's spell around Michael's will and any control she has over him at all.

Invoked also to make sure that the same woman, from this world or the next would never be be able to reconnect them, their ties were severed forever. Each invokation brought back in new awarness and the ability to "see" the spell. It made her physicallly ill. THe lengths that the girl had gone to, the intevweaving, the use of blood which mean it could only be broken by bolld, how she wdded not only his aura but wrapped herself around his very core like braiding a rope out of steel! So great was it that upon the completion of the spell the boy ceased being Michael EMerson, he had been robbed of his very idenity, all his dreams and desires burried beneath the weigh of her sick and destructive love and obsession and desapir as things that did not matter! It spoke to his own power, his own potential that as he grew older his own gifts were beginning to act, beginning to weave around. She was quite impressed with his strength and his resolve were many before him had given into madness. Rage was shared across the link of power, disgust at such an act felt even in the most self serving and murderess of the spirits reingorcing their own.

Her cell errupted to her ringtone for Quin of his mortal son playing the Cello to one of the more somber numbers of Beethoven's Missa Solemniss. Aserah gave a slight nod, taking over that the links did not get severed. "Is this Mona Mayfair?" even in it's nervousness, the voice of the man of the hour was pure velvet, rick in tone and with meloncholy, fatalistic beauty that reminded her of the humanistic and undeniably seductive charm of the tragic beauty of Louis de Pointe du Lac. "The same, how are you holding up Michael?" she asked. "Not a bad as I thought. I just want this over so I can leave this place and live my life again. As soon as the deed is done I want to know. This place brings me nothing but pain and death. It clouds everything that I found beautiful, once. It taints every memory, every thought, the world's light doesn't penetrate through the shadow of my wife's deception... My only joy, my only care is knowing that I have a second chance to live the life I should of had. I refuse to squander it again on a pretty face. And I will not lift a finger to save her. Aserah, make her scream!" he said while sending a nod to her cousin who wore such a wicked smile it frightened even her a moment. "You need not fear, Mike. That little bitch will know your pain, I'll make it so!" she promised grimly before returning back to her inner thoughts.

He sighed aloud. "I loved this place once, Mona. That night, out here, just me and the Lost Boys. Where we ruled the world of the moon and the crystal waves and the spirits still danced around my form. I wanted to be a part of them, you know. It had nothing to do with Star in the beginning. It wasn't fear that held me back..." he spoke. "We know. You need not reason with us. THis was not the path you were meant to take. But now you can give them something, something precious, that they could never attain for themselves. Aserah, more than even I or anyother Mayfair gathered in New Orleans, is under the shadow of Lasher, and you know who Lasher is, don't you? He called out to you young. It is not common for a male descent to carry any gifts in the Mayfair line. Your mother sacraficed everything to make sure that the shadow that falls on the family never find you. But that was not in Lucy's power. It is in Aserah's power, and her's alone. All things happened to bring her here, to end what should have been over centuries ago. Do not think your role was in vain. Your actions do not save yourself alone. Star's blood will complete her transformation, he will have no one left in this family to begot a child. We must use his brief confusion before he forces the Bennet line into our nightmare. And then, tell them when you go. You tell them the Taltos is over, you tell them Lasher is dead. You tell them the names Mona and Aserah Mayfair do not belong to them anymore. We belong to our mates now, to our coven. And the time will come when you shall come to yours. Do not be ruled be the blood in your veigns." she said in warning.

"I figured. Our lines intermingled at some point. But I will be leaving directly for London, almost immediatly, Sam needs me for a mission of great import and I'll be trained by the best in the business before sent to the wolves again. I am going to leave my demons, all my hate, and let it die here, with her. And I will never think on either place or person ever again." the conviction, the burning rage, and the hollow emptiness ate away at him, and Mona was glad he was leaving. THe beautiful town in its corrupted glory was nothing more than a guilded tomb were his dreams came to die, and if he remained it would be the death of his very soul. But now she needed him to open up the channels between him and his friendly spirits and place all his energy and his full focus on the test at hand. "You'll get your chance but first I need your full cooperation. I need you to remove any mental walls between all of us. Open up the channels and link your gift to ours. We must unify, act, and become as One, to align our Wills to the Universal and Natural Laws.: she heard him speak to Quin before picking up on the chanting prayers and joining his voice to Aserah's and her own.

She knew the moment the alls came down, when the images began running over that fateful night when Star's eyes locked onto his across the Boardwalk in the hotsummer of rock and roll and glamour coated sin of 1987. She and her Baby Girl forced him past the images, looking for the moment the deed had been done. A collective gasp was breathed when the answer was made clear. It had been done thenight he drank Max's blood from the wine bottle! He had been vulnerable, bombarded by sensations and intense, terrorying desires and she acted, using the confusion and the clear misunderstanding, why this had happened to him. The first of it was made stronger, woven into the favric that formed him while playing on his insecurities and inflaming his lust, the seal put in place over his will when she took him into her bud. From that moment he became her loyal pet, and she the onlythign that mattered to him. His nger at this betrayl inflamed him whole, and it became theirs, trasferred on the line to all of the Pack. "We must use teh weapon she weilded aainst you to free you. Your anger, your far, and your blood.

THis is the night that will try your soul, this is the time, your place to decided. There is no room for any weakness or doubt. You must decide what you want, and then take it! Is this waht you want son of Adam? Eill you make your stand, side by side with your once sword enemies? Will

you take back what was stolen from you, as Aserah, daughter of Eve; Max, son of Cain; David, son of Cain;

Dwayne, son of Cain; Marko son of Cain; and Paul, son of Cain have done before you?" she asked, her and Aserah now no more than a few feet from the lights burning in teh Cave and detecting the two figures coming from the other side. THey reached the mothh together, to quick for her to admire her cousins' work. That strangely vulnerable but tempting voice spoke again. "I Michael Harold Emerson, Son of Adam, make my intent clear on the site on which I was trangressed. Here is where I take back what was stolen, not only from me, but Cain my brother! Here is where I make my stand!" his voice was strong, his form trembled but slightly. He would make a fine medium and a large asset for the Order some day and it's scholarly atmosphere would appeal to one who was not like her or the others. There was no Predator there, no wildness.

THe declaration was followed by images that made her grin. At the graceful flick of Aserah's wrists all the electricity and light went out as all four entered the Cave. Only Aserah moved first, single file. As acting and still human preistess, Aserah carried rank here as High Priestess of her Patron Lady Bast. "The Light of the Earth I make my own. THe burning white of the stars, the silver beams of the moon is ours. THe red heat of the flames within the hearth and the flickers of candles about the Circle I command you rise, rise about us, illuminate within and without!" silver light burst furth and through in a thousand small circles, rising above the circle and illuminating the writghts like a cordless chadelier. THe power of the moon and stars were present. Tiny circles of mist dirifted about it like a silky curtain, barely visable but glistening here and there in the eery light. The furnace roared to life and the candles raised in their flames 3 feet high before floating back down to their actual height. A small altar's fire sat in the middle were also was the penetegram, her great golden falcon's athame along the other side of her cousin's viking athame in gaelic runes in gold and sapphire jems that gleamed from the hilt where a face resembling her's and Max's anctesors kept grim control over the energies used by their offspring.

There was a look of awe on Michael's face paired with a look, a look she was not sure was a good thing right now. They needed the Lost Men to complete the breaking of the glamour. It would take little provation on their behalf if the brief hero worship of Aserah set off a bunch of territorial brothers already on edge! She willed him to focus on nothing else but his task and was damn greatful when he did. And yet pride bubbled up. Her Baby Girl's power has grew in leaps and bounds since she last seen her, and would grow greater still as they all united as a coven. She also loved her flare for the dramatic, she had seen and adored Gandalf on both books and movies and desperately wanted to be the great Istari, always making Mona giggle like mad. The dumbstruck look was finally beginning to morph to that of strength, and being a red-blooeded female Mona knew damn well if Quin was as open to love in all its forms and those Boys she would have jumped that one time, for him and for her, he needed Star's touch and voice out of his head. Besides, the flashes of a mocha goddess with eyes of jade would soon work their own bewitching spell on his heart, and then he never would think about the traitorous gypsy again.

Quin's POV

He couldn't help the grin on his face. With all Michael had seen you wouldn't think he would react so shocked at Aserah's show of power. But then again the level she was using was far beyond where he had been when he and Mona left for New Orleans. THeir Baby Girl had grown! "You must enter the Circle first, Michael Harold Emerson. Be strong, now is the hour you make your choice. his eyes snapped from the witch's form to that of the Cave entrance. He moved foward slowly with the air of grim determination about him. He passed the walls that held such a long and dark history over his life. A they moved the girls directed them to the points within the Witch's Circle for the Four Watchtowers and a wave came over him. Before taking their places they went to the center altar were the low bonfire lay dormant. THey raised their hands togethers, holding each others wrists skyward and reaching out towards the night. "I invoke Nuut, the Great Mother of the Primoridal Waters. She from which the wellspring of Creation has been formed. Well and Merry Met on this fine night. We come before you with grave matters on our hearts, for grevious deeds have been done.

An act against nature has been made against your Son, offspring of Adam, fruit of Eve. An act that must be reversed. In dedication that my ends mean nothing that his may be free, I give of myself what thou has given so freely of me." the sound, dark, huskily magickal voice of Aserah picked up her Scottish Claymore, built so that only she could weild it named Muireall and rose it skyword. "I call upon my Ladies Nuut of world's beginning, of Lady Bubastis who keeps Nature, of Lady Aphrodite who's name was wrongfully used in vain, of Our Holy Mother, oh Great Miriam, lady as her son of many names, freely given as freely gave, of my own free will, that his be saved. I command thy power be mingled and mixed with the power of my blood as it pours upon the offering!" Made was a tender sliver beneath her robes and she and the other vamps with their control, lucky that the blood clouted so quickly as it sled down that delicously long leg, no shudder or weakness, a sick fascination with the trail of her own blood. She waited for the three drops to enter in before covering up the leg. "by the Sea Bright Blade cosecrated, gifted of Poseidon and and St. Peter, as the Saints gave freely their blood to break the serpents hold, so I give mine. GIve us to them their proper thanks!" she commanded. More pride filled them, and naked lust at all she had become was shared though the entirety of the Pack. She crashed down her beautiful sword, shining and glowing in the light as it parted for her and it went to the hilt.

Mona moved foward, her turn now. "Rise now high priestess of Bast, the commands have been met." Mona felt the power sweep through her, fill her whole and entire. She moved to her own blade. It was one she had been called to while she traveled to Japan with Quin. It matched the matter of monster she had become. Slender, beautiful, drenched in carnage. She named the beautiful Katana Annika meaning Grace. Even though they did not match their patrons like all tools, the blades chose their own masters and their own names not the other way around. Each witch had a sisterhood with their blade, their spirits spoke to them, they sung songs of beauty in the sounds of the night wind. She stood, allowing the power to consumer her, over power and fill her with it's searing flame, burning all un pure thoughts and all things that would hamper the deed she must break tonight. Not even her anger could interfere. "By the soils of thy blessed isle from where you called, Honor, Grace, gifted me of St. Christopher and Kebechet" as the saints gave freely their blood to break the serpents hold, so I give mine. Give us to them their proper thanks!" she commanded. It was Quin's voice that began. "Glory be the God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. It is right to give him praise and thanks.

To the Holy Mother we bow our heads and beg for mercy, to the saints who suffered before us, respect, adoration and favor to see this power be broken over one not burderened to have it. In Nominae Patris Et Fillie Spritictus Sanctu. Lord be with Us, CHrist Be with Us!" they all echoed. As Aserah Mona dug her hilt into the ground and took her spot on the Circle. THe energy was already fighting against Michael, but he fought it like a pro, he refused to leave the CIrcle! It tore at him, screaming voices of her calling out, tempting and threatening and begging and things wove in of self desericitive nature that made his blood curddle! As they took their places, each with a silver and blessed small dagger in hand with an embedded rosary wrapped around the hilt clearly in hand, the girls began. Each sat in indian style, all eyes on the glowing forms of the red haid and chesthair colored girl, like lesser angels of the Lord or any paintings he had ever seen of them. "In greeting and thanks we bow our heads befoer GOd, before His Fellows, and the Saints of the True Fath.

Hail Guardian of the Watchtower of the East! I, Mona Mayfair invoke thee Raphael from thy gentler persuits for your steady hand is needed! Accept the gift freely gave and freely given, answer this righteous plee of Michael Harold Emerson, son of Adam who has been tricked against his will by the servant of the un natural serpent!" she raised and took a brass goblet, raising it above her head before lowering it, with her athame she cut open a small bag and the fragrant smell of fress roses filled the room as she filled the small goblet with the fragrant flower. "Accept I command you the offering of Earth." as she finished and stood back the goblet had smoke that never burned the metal, but the smell of crushing and wilting red showed the Calling could begin. Her sweet smile both filled him with happiness and a little fear. He would never be use to power on her scale. As she sat back down Aserah rose, glowing blue and beautiful. The energy around her cracked and circled her form entirely, and he knew it was Dwayne. The vampire would never allow anyone to take his bride from him!

THe light where Mona walked glowed blue as her witch sister began. She sat before the bronze Westrern goblet witnin the inner Circle. "Hail Guardian of the Watchtower of the West! I invoke thee Gabriel from thy daily services to our Lord, the oversight of the Cosmos, to see a Child of God wronged and to be made pure and his own self again. Answer this rightious plee of Michael Harold Emerson, son of Adam who has been tricked by a servant of the un natural serpent! Let not this injustice seek and steal the path he is meant to tread!" She uncorcked a strange, honey sweet golden wine, that carried it's own energy, as though of holy water. She pured it to just below the brim, moving forward and marking Michael's forehead with the substance in the sign of the cross.

"Be silent serpent!" she commanded before she turned back to her work, shocking all around her. As she rose back in her place, smoke once again boiled the sweet elixr away, only the smell left to show it had ever graced the glass. Now it was his turn. And he could not be afraid. He had to do this for Michael. "Hail to the WatchTower of the West. I invokee thee Michael to protect God's Children. Break the chains upon the soul of this son of Adam, let go on him the designs of the enemy. I command freedom for my brother, Michael son of Adam! Accept and take this offering of fire." he concentrated, ignorning the searing pain as the power went into his small goblet, not burning it but the skin holding it before he could put it down. It left a strangely feather light smell, and a cold feeling in his wrists were they were already healing. He turned around and looked at Michael, who stood there, fighting his desires, powers he had not yet understood. It was a hard fight. All the more that one does not want to believe such things. Each in the room leant the strength they had to make him see the truth. There was no coming back from this. He chose this now, or he accept the debt he had to pay to the , his shoulders straightened.

He turned and said. "I'll be no one's slave anymore! I shall follow just this once, but I will learn this path and be no bitch's pet again!" all three and even one of the Boys cheered telepathiclly though more for his woman than anything. "Rise Michael Harold Emerson, son of Adam, take what is yours and do not faulter." the voices of the patrons spoke with the vocals of Aserah and Mona, and he looked at them both fondly, but there was another lingering gaze on Aserah and he knew why. Aserah was not unlike in personality to the one he was meant to meet so he could let it go, but not without a talk. "Hail to the Guardian of the Watchtower of the North, I invoke thee Archangel Michael, caster of the serpent, holder of the Flaming Sword of God! Swing forth thy blade and break the chains of the Almighty adversery! Set free this son of Adam, this son of Noah, this son of Abraham, Michael Harold Emerson from the wiles, the chains, the manipulations and the flames of lust of Starralie Ivenna Emerson, to dissapear into the fiery chasms they were forged!" There was clapping, and the Boys came in. "Very well Michael. But it's not finished yet. But fear not, we mean no harm. In order to break the spell, you need our blood.

And so the deal." Aserah had. It was dead panned, she still did not like what had been done to her mates and there was underlying anger there. THe boys moves as she directed to their points on the third outer circle. Mona turned to the boy for that was still what he was after all this time. "Be a man and put away childish things or you will not live past the name of the Originals, Michael." now it was time to be harsh. "Enter into this place of Gods and men, vampires, and spirits, saints, and souls where none can cross with ill in their heart. Come into the heart of the Watchtowers, Michael Harold Emerson." they both spoke in unison, seeing nothing but their subject. They raised slightly, a partial foot in the spirit plane where their familiars watched on. "Son of Adam, we are the Voices of those on High. Of an Order of Lords and Ladies more ancient than Stonehenge. No lie or taint or evil intent can be hidden from these eyes that come from Almighty God. Seek no deception. What is your purpose here?" the voice through Mona asked as her eyes bled solid white. "TO break the curse that stole my free will and bound me to Starralie Ivenna, to be her slave, a fate I did not choose from which I would be free." it took a great fight but he finally got it out of his mouth.

He felt the boys stare and David glared at Marko who snickered "Starralie" over to Dwayne who rolled his eyes. Out of them all he knew how important the rites here were and just how dangerous. THe girls were not playing games here! Michael glew blue, showing he spoke truth. "Your request demands a price, for nothing can be gained of real value without a sacrafice of extra value. What are you willing to sacrfice to those you ask aid and have done wrong?" Aserah asked, touching his forehead. He didn't yet look at them but Mike knew them, felt them. He couldn't bring himself to turn just yet. He needed more strength. "Anything and everything demanded of me, up to my life." again blue. The girls placed the first of the 6 silver blades in their hands the bowl that held Aserah's and Mona's blood already that had gained power in the center. Aserah pocketed hers for this requires your own blade your own blood. Mona held the bowl tight. "The deal you would make against those you unwilligly wrongged and the price for the breakng of bonds is your life's blood to which we all share our own." Mona said. "What say you to the price given, Son of Adam?" they asked in Unison.

He gave his knife and wrist to Aserah and they both smiled. "In your hands you place your fate into St. Christopher and into St. Peter, that on your blood you are bound, and nothing, not even early death can break the bond you set here this day. Say your words, Michael." He gave a soft smile to Aserah before he nodded. "In sight of St. Christopher and St. Peter of the Keys, I bind myself to this blood, and nothing, not even early death can break the bond set here this day." he said. She nodded. Finaly he looked up. Scared to death and yet still draw as he had been when young when David's strong form was glowing in the eery light the witches created. And that was when it began. When they all grabbed hands around and the bone crushing agony worked its way through him. Contrortions and tormented screams rocked the caves but no one could come, Aserah had been sure. And he knew they had been brought early to see this. She was crueller then they knew. She believed in vengeance and the boys watching poor repenting Michael would burn itself into Quin's mind a good long time, all the more soo of that of his beautifu Mona's approving face. Fianlly, a hand reached out. "No undo pain for a job already long completed, leave, NOW!" He turned to be terrorfied!

Dwayne carried himself like a warlock of old, a shadow acting as a cloak, hints of silver light. And he knew that he was far more than a vampire. And perhaps so was Aserah. THe question was, could he handle them? Michael tried again. "St. Peter, keeper of the Keys, bind her that binds me. Be my will that mine may be free. Be my strength when my would flee." and his wrist went back into Aserah's lap. She cut a shallow cut into his palm, draining into the bowl 6 solid drops, one for Lucy, for Max, for Sam, for David, for Dwayne, for Marko, and for Paul. "Now gather your courage and look upon the ones you wronged." Mona commanded. Fear fought fascination, fought sheer nerve. "Tell them what your intentions are to repay the debt they ar owed in the presence of God Almighty, His Saints, and the ancient gods of old. By blood and words you are bound till you fulfill your oath. Say on, Say on Son of Adam, Sons of Cain. COme into the CIrcle." they obeyed their witches without a word, and awe and intense pride with undying devotion was fixed in Dwayne's eyes as he took in the form of the form and power surrounding and glowing within his beloved, causing Quin to smile.

His second most loved person in the world was in very capeable hands! Michael used all the strength he had to look on their forms, dark eyes swimming with guilt. "Yes say on Michael, and the words spoken here will be kept." David's gravelly voice spoke, his own from glowing blue to be followed by the others, shocking Emerson profoundly. "I will be the aristocrat to your King Alaric. I shall lead you tho the places and to the times. THen I will walk away, walk away from this deed, this town, and this place and never return! I leave for London in a few days. Sam waits for me there. My destiny starts in the Order of the Talamasca." he spoke, truth hown to the faces he reared for so long, Aserah and Mona picked up the kife and cast it into the small bonfire while going before David, who gave Aserah a soft, melting smile before handing his own silver knife and wrist over in complete trust while she passed Mona the bowl under neath her other hand. Mona gazed deep into the leader's eyes. "David, son of Cain, what say you?" she asked while Aserah knicked his wrist and caught the drops of his and Max's. He turned to face Michael in the eyes. "In as much your sins against me are no more, one condition that you keep your word, and speak to no one, not even the Talamasca about any of us or the events that took place here. Break any of these conditions and the truce dissolves and I will find you." the dark haired man gulped and nodded.

They moved, Dwayne never taking his eyes off Aserah's form, though deep in thought at deep in the moment. "What say you, Dwayne son of Cain?" Aserah asked softly. He smiled gently before he gave a soft kiss on her cheek. He couldn't help himself! She made the shallow cut while he pulled on his own impressive power Quin didn't know he had. His eyes softened towards the scared Michael. "Keep your words and yu fall under my protection and none shall replicate Starralie's actions and no vamp of our kind shall turn you. Break them and I will lifte that protection and this coven will come to extract justice.." the graeful look he gave him was almost comical though understandable. Next was Paul who was doing his best to hold in old anger and remember Mike was not entirely at fault. "What say you Paul son of Cain?" asked Mona with a reassuring smile. Aserah cut and caught the drops from him and Laddie. "I am a man of my word. Keep yours Mikey, and you have no reason to fear me. Break them, and I'll beak you." another nod. THe last was marko, their hold out. Both witches silently plead till he ansered with his Chesire smile and gave Aserah his wrist.

He fixed Michael with a glare. "The words and intentions of my brothers are mine. But see that you don't touch what is not yours!" and with those world energy flew and soared. Mona placed the bowl in the center while Aserah pulled Michael up by his hands. He took one of Mona's and her other one, joining as a circle and enchanted the contents within by channeling the powers of those who made the offering. As it boiled and rose as stream all the people in the Cave burned with searing white light though they remained unharmed. Aserah handed Michael Muireall and Annika. "This is it. Say the words and end our rites, and it is done." the grateful, worshipful look he gave her back made Quin thnk again on Marko's words. Still, he raised his swords over his head."ON Earth as it is in Heaven, with these words I close these rites with gratefulness and humility. As above, so below!" and he burried both swords to the softer ground in the cave. A great power wve knocked them all down and he gave a heart rending scream before there was a blinding flash of yellow light that burst from his being before it all went black. Slowly he electricity roared back on and Michael laughed like a mad man!

"It's back! Oh my God! You did it! You really did it! You are amazing!" he engulfed Aserah in a hug that seemed longer than it should beofre pounching on Mona. "COme Michael, celebrate with your brother in London. I'll take you home and then together we will end this thing." he nodded before letting Mona go. He shot looks of greatfulness at David and Dwayne who wore smiles of bitter amusement. He whishked him out were preternatural ear shot was a long way off before he spoke. "I know Aserah is enchantingly beautiful, and she saved you, but dhe didn't do it for you! She is a Mayfair, one with a dark and terrible history. Shie is not a woman who belongs in the mortal world. Her soul belongs to one man and to one man alone, and it always has and always will, and that man is not you, its Dwayne! And her heart and her love belongs to the Pack alone! She is their mate, and no power can change that. If you try to take her they will end you and she willl help them do it! You have a destiny, you must follow it and take your mind off this place, off this life, and off her most of all!" he said. "And what if I can't" he asked. "You can, your destined one will call out before long. Yo are meant for great things, Michael Emerson. Don't ruin it for someone you will never, not this or in any other life ever have."

"You never know, once in a while you may have runins with Mona and I, perhaps even meet our own Brat Prince! Just don't sell yourself short. Aserah has a destiny that lies with those yours did not." Looking down, Michael changed the subject. "Star can't know..." he bean. "She doen't, it was saw to. You must act as if nothing has changed. You have it set to make a Last Stand. So lure them near the Cave. Lead them in and I'll grab you and take you out. Don't leave till you help set the scene of a mass suicide and leave in a wave of overwhelming grief. THe Talamasca knows how to sell it. Now this mission after us... I know of it. It is far more dangerous than here. THe beings of Mystic Falls are far more dagerous than the Lost Boys. If you are cornered you call out the name Maharet. I don't care how crazy it sounds you just do it! " he gave him a strange look. "I'll do it then, if you demand it. But Sam has my back." A blcok from the house they stopped. "The Froggs are with Star. Pull off an Oscar worthy preformance and it will save the lives of more people than you can possibly know." he siad. "It's her, isn't it? Something is coming for Aserah!" alarm sounded in his voice. There was no use and alot to gain from the truth. "Yes, and without them, and Star's blood, she won't make it. " reslove entered the other man's eyes. More strength than he had yet seen in him. "Tomorrow night, be ready. I'll whip them up into a fatalistic frenzy and lead them in. Is that enough time?" Michael asked.

"Plenty TOmorrow it is." and with that Quin left to go back to the Cave for moving and preparing for the demise of the Amatures and the traitor. A foreboding came over him that this would not be the last he knew of Michael Emerson. And then the REA battle will decide the fate of the Mayfair Family and the demons that haunted them all. And none of them would ever know the living sacrafice of herself Aserah was making to end Lasher and the Taltos.

Forgive the awful length but it must be done! A little Aserah and David fun to come after they race the night to move back into the Cave, Max in tow for the first time!


End file.
